Posted: 7/26/18 at 8:20pm
This is just a question to all my fellow Broadway Nerds out there.
I've been obsessed lately with this YouTube video from filmmaker Rick McKay where he talks to some of the original dancers who participated in that legendary tape session that became the basis for A Chorus Line. Among the interviewees were original ACL cast members Donna McKechnie, Kelly Bishop, Priscilla Lopez, Thommie Walsh, Wayne Cilento, Sammy Williams, Renee Baughman and Trish Garland as well as several dancers who were not in the original production like Candy Brown, Steve Bockvoor, Denise Pence, Andy Bew, Mitzi Hamilton, Tony Stevens and Michon Peacock. The latter two (Stevens and Peacock) were the two who had galvanized this whole thing by getting dancers together to do something to improve dancers' creative output at the time and they invited Michael Bennett who took over and turned it into the landmark it became.
But my question is: They mention that there were about 25-30 dancers there that first night and does anyone know the names of all of those dancers who took part? I mean above I list about 15 or so, and in the video they mention a few other names who were there like Nicholas Dante (who was the basis for the Paul character and got libretto credit because the Paul monologue is his story VERBATIM), Christopher Chadman (who was in Pippin with Priscilla Lopez and Candy Brown), and Jackie Garland (who was Trish Garland's sister). But I haven't found anything in my searches that lists all the participants. Now I understand that there may be legal reasons for this, but I thought I'd throw the question out there to my fellow Broadway buffs and see what we know.
So, does anyone know?
Jeremy B.
BwayBabyCA