STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
It’s been nearly 50 years since “A Chorus Line” danced its way down Broadway, becoming Broadway’s longest running musical until “Cats” dethroned it in 1998.
But the 90-minute musical showcasing the anxiety and exhilaration revolving around performers’ auditions is timeless.
“To audition, particularly in a sort of large format dance call of which ‘A Chorus Line’ is based on, is just this act of how completely open and raw and real can I be?!” said Wyatt Root. “How can I show that I want to be here doing this more than anything, even if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning! The musical gives us such a timeless look at all of the feelings that percolate around those auditions--the before, the after, the what, where, why, when. And I think those elements and the way they are woven together throughout the score and book are what make this musical a certified classic.”
Root is among 14 young people who are presenting “A Chorus Line: Teen Edition” as part of St. Thomas Playhouse’s Summer Theater Project. It’s a full-length edition of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical with dialog and content tailored to young people.
The musical starts at 7 p.m. tonight through Saturday, July 27, at the Sun Valley Community School Theatre. Tickets are available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35974/production/1206909.
The show features little in the way of set and props—just the amazing talent of the valley’s teens under the musical direction of Louisa Waycott with choreography by Robyn Fox, Melodie Taylor Mauldin and Sara Gorby.
Each choreographer has brought a different flavor to the show that encompasses ballet, jazz, tap, a chorus line/drill team routine and musical dance theater.
“The cast is onstage for almost the entire show” said Gorby, artistic director for St. Thomas Playhouse. “It is a very ensemble and yet character-driven story.”
The musical, which features music by Marvin Hamlisch, opens with a director played by Wyatt Root employing a stern but caring approach to casting a set of dancers. With his prodding, the dancers begin describing what led them to the stage.
One recalls watching his sister’s dance class when he was a preschooler as he sings “I Can Do That.” Another tries to hide his unhappy childhood while making jokes. Sheila Bryant recounts how ballet helped her escape her unhappy family life as she sings “At the Ballet.” And tone-deaf Kristine laments being unable to sing while her husband finishes her phrases in “Sing!”
Cassie Ferguson is willing to return to a chorus line despite having had fleeting success as a solo performer so she can continue her passion for dance. And when one dancer falls, injuring his knee, the cast reflects on what they will do when they can no longer dance in the song “What I Did for Love.”
The Broadway version won nine Tony Awards and the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“Certainly, what immediately comes to mind in thinking about ‘A Chorus Line’ is the dancing, but I would like to draw our attention to the completely stellar score of songs that are just fresh and fun that make you want to get up and start auditioning yourself!” said Root “It has beautiful ballads that give me chills every time I listen to them. There has to be some sort of magic in scores that reach towards an iconic status like ‘A Chorus Line’ has achieved.”
Gertie Pitts said that it’s rare to be in a show where everyone gets to be a lead at some point: “I have loved watching everyone develop and connect with their characters throughout the rehearsal process. It’s easy to go back to your normal ways of reacting after finishing your individual part, but the real challenge is to always have in mind how your own character would. I’ve found it’s made me much more conscious of my acting during all parts of a show, which I will take with me in future projects!”
Gorby praised Louisa Waycott, who created 148 tracks for the actors so they could be as prepared as possible before the first day of rehearsal.
“She is a force, giving gentle and disciplined guidance while teaching the demand and layering of technique with acting the songs,” said Gorby. “Louisa's many years as an opera singer and in musical theater make her very qualified to share what it means to perform stories with music and keep energy in life to the music. She has a great sense of humor about the work and is so fun!”
The show requires every single person be incredibly strong, said Waycott: “I grew up listening to this music and never liked the song ‘Sing!’ because as a musician having a song where a character can’t sing is one that I never want to listen to on repeat. But Ingrid Pratt does a fantastic job, and her character is so hilarious that I greatly look forward to this moment every night.”
The challenges that faced dancers back in the ‘70s have not changed, she added: “Work is still hard to find and, once you are in a show, you know that it won’t last and that you will have to start looking for your next job. It is a never-ending cycle that can get tiring and disheartening.”
But, said Ingrid Pratt: “The audition process will always resonate, and the human instinct of curiosity will always keep us wondering what goes on in the lives of these seemingly ordinary people.”
DID YOU KNOW? Summer Theater Project is free for teens and young adults. It’s designed to create a safe space for young artists to tell stories and learn life skills that reach beyond their time onstage and in the spotlight, said Sara Gorby.
THE CAST
Actors are Eavan Brown, Nicolas “Nico” de la Torre, Ida Belle Gorby, Hoken Johnston, Scout Kendall, Campbell Leady, Lizzie Loving, Madi O’Very, Onni Petersen, Gertie Pitts, Anja Pratt, Ingrid Pratt, Wyatt Root and Rick Vigurieria.
In addition to the musical director and choreographers, Tyler Salvoni heads up the tech crew that includes Brett Moellenberg on lights designed by Megan Mahoney and Reed Fowler running sound and projections.