were all flops that managed less than ten performances each. Meanwhile, the Stahls had unofficially put the Hellinger on the market by 1975, and the Nederlander Organization bought the theater the next year. Late 1970s and 1980s The Hellinger was not successful in its 1978 productions of Timbuktu! with Eartha Kitt or Platinum with Alexis Smith. This was followed in 1979 by Sarava, a musical with a score by Mitch Leigh; the Joffrey Ballet, with featured artist Rudolf Nureyev; and The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall, which closed on its opening night. The Hellinger finally saw a success in late 1979 when Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney costarred in the burlesque Sugar Babies, which ran 1,208 performances over the next three years. The Tony Awards returned to the Hellinger in 1980 and 1981. After the closure of Sugar Babies in 1982, Comden and Green produced A Doll's Life, which closed after five performances. Magician Doug Henning costarred with Chita Rivera in the 1983 musical Merlin, which ran for 199 performances. Merlin ended to make way for Chaplin, a musical that never opened. Afterward, the British musical Oliver! had a short run at the Hellinger in 1984. Michael Bennett negotiated to buy a half-interest in the theater's ownership in 1984, the same year that Jerry Weintraub purchased a stake in the operation of the Hellinger. In 1985, the Hellinger hosted Grind for 75 performances and Tango Argentino for about 200 performances. The 1985 film A Chorus Line was also partly shot on location at the theater. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s, the Hellinger showed short runs, solo shows, and industry bookings. The musical Rags ran for just four performances in 1986, and dance production Flamenco Puro appeared later the same year. The Hellinger then hosted the 1987 Tony Awards, as well as personal appearances from Smokey Robinson/Jean Carne, Virsky Company, Rodney Dangerfield, and the Georgian State Dance Company. The Hellinger hosted Shakespeare's Macbeth with Glenda Jackson and Christopher Plummer in early 1988. At the end of the year, the theater premiered its last-ever legitimate production, Legs Diamond. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started to consider protecting the Hellinger as a landmark in 1982, with discussions continuing over the next several years. The LPC designated the Hellinger's interior as a landmark on November 17, 1987, followed by the facade in January 1988. This was part of the