Yolande Ramsey for Curtains Up
Beautiful City Theatre, first recipient of the Curtains Up Award, will be staging, for one night only, “A Chorus Line”, the Tony-awarding winning Broadway classic, with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. The musical tells the story of dancers auditioning and revealing their personal stories to a director for a Broadway show.
For Beautiful City Theatre’s production, previous BCT performers, including members of the Board of Directors and management, will play the would-be Broadway dancers undergoing the gruelling audition process before the show director, played by BCT’s Artistic Director Calli Armstrong.
Curtains UP spoke to cast member Richard Martz, who will be playing “Don”. Mr. Martz is a 2013-2016 BCT Board Member.
This production features what is called a “meta-spin”. What does this mean?
I think it’s a combination of ensuring the different characters are not tied to the original genders and ethnicity as originally described from the original script. For example, the director is played by a woman but the original character was a man. The cast we believed were the best people for the role even though the gender and ethnicities may not be exactly as they were written. Ultimately, the character exploration and development and their relationship to one another is the primary purpose of the show and not the overt identifying characteristics.
What makes this production unique?
The founding mission of BCT is the creation of a community through theatre. We have members of each previous BCT major production including Board members, management, all sharing the stage and having the opportunity to work together in the development of this production.
What is it about “A Chorus Line” that makes it stand the test of time?
It’s a show about people facing their dreams and disappointments in life. The evolution of your life may lead you to make different decisions and changes and that may or may not align with how we see ourselves and our own identity. These are universal human struggles.
What can the audience expect with this production?
They can expect to have a lot of fun. Everyone will come away feeling good. Given the diversity of the characters there is something that will resonate on a deeper human level with everyone in the audience.
“A Chorus Line” will show at The Centaur Theatre
Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 pm
To purchase tickets go the Centaur’s website, http://www.centaurtheatre.com/a-chorus-line.html. Box office 514-288-3161.
Beautiful City Theatre is an independent, non-profit group that aims to bring creativity and a sense of community through theatre and engaging artists with inspired ensemble productions.
For more information about Beautiful City Theatre, go to their website: www.beautifulcitytheatre.com
