Jun 5, 2025 11:00 EST
Stage & Screen
532
Jake Bell’s annotated script and other materials from A Chorus Line
Estate / Collection: Property of Technical Production Manager Jake Bell
A CHORUS LINE
Stage Manager Jake Bell’s annotated cue script, corrected master and blocking scripts, and promotional materials from A Chorus Line. A fantastic group of items from the first Broadway production of this legendary musical. The annotated cue script is noted in type as "Revised: March, 1976" has handwritten in the upper corner "Jake Bell/Cue Book," the script being heavily annotated in pencil and ink with blocking, lighting, and other technical cues with various pages added and taped-in, 79 pp. held in a binder, with a cast photo laid-in, a cast list at rear, some pages relating to the U.S. National tour, etc. Some spotting and wear from use. The Blocking and Corrected Master scripts are both photocopied and dated March 1976 but both are signed in ink by Jake Bell, the blocking script with copies of previous handwritten annotations.
Promotional items include a satin crew jacket with the show logo on the back and "Jake" embroidered on the front, minor wear and soiling; a framed silver printed poster from early in the show's Shubert Theatre run; a long printed "timeline" poster celebrating A Chorus Line becoming longest running show in Broadway history in 1983, poster approximately 60 x 12 inches, rolled in a tube, some edgewear; the silver printed invitation and ticket to performance 3389 in 1983 in which A Chorus Line became the longest running show in Broadway history; a desk weight cast/crew gift presented following the 2008 National Tour signed by Bob Avian; early Playbills, programs, and a large format promotional booklet. Minor wear.
An important archive of one of the best-loved Broadway musicals about Broadway musicals, A Chorus Line opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on July 25th, 1975 and closed after a record-setting 6,137 performances on April 28th, 1990—a record that stood until surpassed by Cats in 1997. As evidenced by some rare materials here, A Chorus Line became the longest-running show in Broadway history in 1983 and celebrated with a special performance. A Chorus Line was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett (1943-1987), the seven-time Tony Award-winning choreographer and director of Follies and Dreamgirls. A classic look within the experience of Broadway performers, A Chorus Line was based on the workshop audition process pioneered by Bennett. Unfortunately, Michael Bennett died of an AIDS-related illness in 1987 (Bennett can be seen seated in the foreground of the photograph present here).
Sold for $832
Estimated at $400 - $600
Includes Buyer's Premium
Estate / Collection: Property of Technical Production Manager Jake Bell
A CHORUS LINE
Stage Manager Jake Bell’s annotated cue script, corrected master and blocking scripts, and promotional materials from A Chorus Line. A fantastic group of items from the first Broadway production of this legendary musical. The annotated cue script is noted in type as "Revised: March, 1976" has handwritten in the upper corner "Jake Bell/Cue Book," the script being heavily annotated in pencil and ink with blocking, lighting, and other technical cues with various pages added and taped-in, 79 pp. held in a binder, with a cast photo laid-in, a cast list at rear, some pages relating to the U.S. National tour, etc. Some spotting and wear from use. The Blocking and Corrected Master scripts are both photocopied and dated March 1976 but both are signed in ink by Jake Bell, the blocking script with copies of previous handwritten annotations.
Promotional items include a satin crew jacket with the show logo on the back and "Jake" embroidered on the front, minor wear and soiling; a framed silver printed poster from early in the show's Shubert Theatre run; a long printed "timeline" poster celebrating A Chorus Line becoming longest running show in Broadway history in 1983, poster approximately 60 x 12 inches, rolled in a tube, some edgewear; the silver printed invitation and ticket to performance 3389 in 1983 in which A Chorus Line became the longest running show in Broadway history; a desk weight cast/crew gift presented following the 2008 National Tour signed by Bob Avian; early Playbills, programs, and a large format promotional booklet. Minor wear.
An important archive of one of the best-loved Broadway musicals about Broadway musicals, A Chorus Line opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on July 25th, 1975 and closed after a record-setting 6,137 performances on April 28th, 1990—a record that stood until surpassed by Cats in 1997. As evidenced by some rare materials here, A Chorus Line became the longest-running show in Broadway history in 1983 and celebrated with a special performance. A Chorus Line was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett (1943-1987), the seven-time Tony Award-winning choreographer and director of Follies and Dreamgirls. A classic look within the experience of Broadway performers, A Chorus Line was based on the workshop audition process pioneered by Bennett. Unfortunately, Michael Bennett died of an AIDS-related illness in 1987 (Bennett can be seen seated in the foreground of the photograph present here).
Auction: Stage & Screen, Jun 5, 2025
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Popular Stage & Screen Auction on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 11am
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Memorabilia, Autographs, Artwork & Photographs of the Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance
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Hosted in Collaboration with the Entertainment Community Fund (Formerly the Actors Fund)
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle hosted the popular Stage & Screen auction on June 5, 2025. Fans and collectors around the world vied for exciting offerings celebrating the performing arts of Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance.
The Glass Menagerie
Highlighting the sale was an extraordinary script of The Glass Menagerie, inscribed by Tennessee Williams to Jo Mielziner, the celebrated set and lighting designer. Mielziner’s annotated carbon copy, it sold for $11,520, many times its $1,500-2,500 estimate. His notes reveal early design ideas, including “wonderful!” beside Williams’ lighting suggestions. This script predates rewrites and was issued before rehearsals began in late November 1944. Their first collaboration, Menagerie became a theatrical milestone, with Mielziner’s visionary designs playing a crucial role in its success and in later Williams-Meilziner productions, A Streetcar Named Desire and Summer and Smoke.
The Entertainment Community Fund
Recognizing the importance of the performing arts to the fabric of New York, Doyle is proud to collaborate on this auction with the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Lots 501 through 519 were auctioned to directly benefit the Fund, and Doyle will donate 100% of our Buyer's Premium on these lots. Featured are stylish costumes from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For further information on the Entertainment Community Fund, visit EntertainmentCommunity.org
Property of Technical Production Manager Jake Bell
Jake Bell has had a legendary career in the theater as Technical Production Manager for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's iconic musicals. Bell managed some of the most dazzling and technologically advanced stage elements in theater history: the famous falling chandelier in The Phantom of the Opera, the flying helicopter in Miss Saigon, the barricade of Les Misérables and so much more. Among the collection's highlights are annotated production books, scripts, props and memorabilia from Cats, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, A Chorus Line and Phantom of the Opera, including a stage-worn Phantom mask presented to Bell at the April 2023 closing performance. View Lots
The Estate of Tony Roberts
New York native Tony Roberts (1939–2025) was a prolific stage and screen actor with a career spanning over six decades. A two-time Tony award nominee, he appeared in 23 Broadway productions, among them David Merrick’s Barefoot in the Park, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Promises, Promises, for which he won the London Critics Poll Award for the West End production. Among his numerous screen credits are six Woody Allen films, including Annie Hall, Play It Again, Sam and Star-Spangled Girl. He performed in New York City Opera's Brigadoon and South Pacific, and played Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. Collection highlights feature original illustrations by Al Hirschfeld depicting Roberts in Arsenic and Old Lace and Doubles, his script from Star Spangled Girl, and a large group of awards and memorabilia. View Lots
“Costume Bibles” of Barbara Matera
Barbara Matera (1929-2001) was one of the foremost costume designers and creators of costumes on Broadway, working on more than 100 shows between the 1970s to the early 2000s. It was her invariable practice to create a costume bible for every show, with copies of the original designs, specimens of the fabrics used, and notes on the sources of those fabrics. This enabled repairs and new copies of costumes to be consistently assembled over the course of a show. Featured in the sale are costume bibles for Angels in America, Evita, La Cage aux Folles, Phantom of the Opera, RENT and even the Rolling Stones 1994 Voodoo Lounge Tour. View Lots
