A Chorus Line Review - 11/14/06

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 12:51am

Just back from seeing ACL for the second time. I mainly went tonight just to see someone else perform Cassie since I knew D'Amboise would be out due to the 10th Anniversary of Chicago. I also expected Michael Berresse(original cast member) & Deidre Goodwin(long time veteran) to be out as well. Well, I was in for a big shock when neither of them were out(only D'Amboise was out among the three and was played by Isenegger). Also out tonight was Yuka Takara played by Michelle Aravena(I'll get to that later).

Other cast notes: Lorin Latarro has officially left the show. Pamela Fabello has replaced her character(bumped up from a swing) and is now playing Vicki full-time. Jessica Lea Patty has joined the cast as a swing and actually performed tonight as Tricia. Lyndy Franklin played Lois and is now listed in the Playbill as assistant dance captian.

On to the show. The show & cast are still amazing. Tonight's performance seemed better then the first time(Oct. 12). Everything was sharp and anything that seemed weak the first time seemed to be fixed. If you want my full review of the show do a search for my original review.

Nadine Isenegger, I felt, was a better Cassie. She can clearly sing much better than D'Amboise. The only part I found weaker than D'Amboise was her acting. Their dancing is about the same, but I think Isenegger has more stamina as she wasn't completely out of breathe at the end of TM&TM. Now for Aravena as Connie. Didn't get the laughs that Takara gets but still did a good job. I could clearly tell this was her first time performing Connie. The changes in lines were the following:

Her entire intro was changed, her last name(sorry, I can't remember it), her hometown(Greenville, NC) & her age as she claims to be 20. Bobby's line, "go on Miss Wong", was cut. During her monologue when she announces she just played a 32 year old brat, Zach says "I thought you were 20?". Richie's line was then cut and instead of "King and I" she says "summer stock".

That's it. I would have done the stage door to ask Berresse & Goodwin why they weren't at Chicago but it was completely mobbed. Likely won't be able to see ACL again until March at best due to the holidays & upcoming vacation.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 12:58am

Why did Lorin Latarro leave?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 1:02am

She's going to be in The Apple Tree.

[NJgirl]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 11:00am

Connie McKenzie is what they changed her name too. I saw the show Saturday and Yuka was out then too.

[NBC]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 11:39am

Michelle Aravena was also on as Connie on Friday night.

I think the ACL folks would only let either Charlotte or Michael Berresse have the night off, not both...I would think the same applied to Deidre.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 3:54pm

Thanks!! You would figure they'd let Berresse go since he was an original cast member.

[NBC]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 4:00pm

True, and he did do a stint as Billy, but Charlotte has played Roxie so many times, both on Broadway and on tour...at this point she's been connected with the show much longer than Berresse, so I'm not surprised they went with Charlotte.

[gcal]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 4:49pm

Connie has always had those alternate lines when she is played by a non-asian woman.

[NJgirl]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 4:56pm

I figured the changes are scripted and are the same ones used in the original production...but considering I've never seen Connie played (regionally or on bway) by someone who was not Asian, the changes were new to me.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 7:06pm

playbill.com states why on D'Amboise was the only one allowed to take the night off from A Chorus Line to perform in Chicago.

Here's the quote:

"James L. Nederlander, sitting next to me, was among those wowed by Charlotte d'Amboise's "Me and My Baby." She was sprung from her nightly duties as Cassie in A Chorus Line to do it — a shrewd move, although Michael Berresse (the original Fred Casely who was so completely ventilated by Roxie's revolver in the opening scene) had to stay in place in A Chorus Line. "They don't like Zach and Cassie to be out on the same night," he told me later at the after-party at New World Stages where he visited with old friends from the original company. Deidre Goodwin, who has a strong Chicago history, too, couldn't get permission to leave her "Sheila" role in A Chorus Line."