Bennett was the foremost director/choreographer of 1970's concept musicals (shows built around a central event or theme rather than a traditional plot). After dancing in the choruses of several Broadway shows, Bennett made his choreographic debut with A Joyful Noise (1966). He went on to earn a solid reputation by staging dances for Promises, Promises (1968) and director Hal Prince's productions of Stephen Sondheim's innovative hits Company (1970) and Follies (1971). At a series of private sessions in the early 1970's, Bennett tape recorded the memories and musings of veteran Broadway dancers. This material formed the basis for A Chorus Line (1975), which Bennett directed and choreographed. The show became a sensation, receiving several Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize, and going on to a record-setting Broadway run.
Bennett's innovative Ballroom (1978) displeased critics and closed in a matter of weeks, but his stylish Dreamgirls (1981) overcame a rocky reception to become a long-running hit. The next six years brought a series of heartaches, all exacerbated by Bennett's drug use and bisexual promiscuity. His marriage to ACL star Donna McKechnie ended in divorce, he abandoned the musical Scandal in mid-workshop, and gave up directing Chess when he was diagnosed AIDS. Withdrawing from the public eye, he tried to keep his illness a secret until his death at age 44.
