Cheryl Clark: Chorus Line's (2nd) Greatest Cassie?

Nah. She's good but not great. Her execution is strong, but there's no real fluidity or through-line. She goes sequentially from step to step. And she blows the transition into the slow section by "easing" into it almost after the fact, instead of suddenly shifting gears. Not very effective for a moment that should be very effective, especially with the light and music changes.

And her voice is not really right for the part. It's solid but a little too strident and untrained. She's not a classy Cassie.

But a very competent one.

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I've been fortunate to see many Cassies in person and, thankfully, through youtube.

Clark is #2. I could list my "rankings", but I'll just get attacked.

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Are there any clips of Ann Reinking as Cassie anywhere

I think what also excited me was the unique way she played Cassie's desperation, and communicated it through the gestures as well as through the dialogue and lyrics.

Knowing that Bennett coached her in the role himself--and remembering those of my friends back in the 80s who were coached by him, cowed by him, fired by him, inspired by him--I think I see a Cassie in her that he saw. Not Donna's Cassie, although the steps are the same, but Cheryl's Cassie directed by Michael.

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"There's a clip of her doing a dance to the end of "Music and the Mirror" but it's not the right choreography."

If I remember correctly didn't Ann convince the powers that be at the time to change the choreography. As I recall, she stood by the fact that she and Donna were both totally different as dancers in terms of style, and since the original was so specifically tailored to Donna she knew that neither she nor the choreography would look as good.

^ That's the clip I was referring to.

No, she didn't change the core of MATM, only a few steps so that it fit her better. All the Cassies did.

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Thanks, ghostlight. I have heard over the years from various sources what the extent of the changes were that were made for Ann, ranging anywhere from "just a few steps" to "drastic differences." As I was not around to see it, not being born yet and all, I was always curious just how much it really was. Good to finally hear from somebody who saw her in the role.

Cheryl's Cassie is magnificent. Her Sheila is the BEST.

There HAS to be a clip of Ann R. going Music SOMEWHERE!? I've been looking for years...

I really can't see what many of you are seeing in this clip. Her acting is wooden, her singing is unpolished and bland, her execution of the dance steps is fantastic, but only the execution. No fluidity or (seemingly) organic motivation behind it. Just one solid move followed by another solid move. Crossing each hurdle in the horse race beautifully. If this were an athletic event (the De-Cassie-Lon?), I would give her a perfect 10, but it's an artistic performance by a singer/actor/dancer. And one out of three, with the third only "technically" outstanding, just isn't doing it for me.

I would rather see a better actress (and singer) with less dance ability. I think it would have more impact for me than this does.

But that's what makes for art and opinions of it. I do see what others are seeing as far as her technical prowess. She can really move! But that alone doesn't make Cassie, or the actress playing her, a Broadway star. It just makes her a really good dancer.

EDIT: By the way, whatever happened to Cheryl Clark? Is she dancing anywhere? Teaching anywhere? She hasn't done another Broadway show since.

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Updated On: 7/18/10 at 08:44 AM

It was okay, good even, but to me she came off too stiff and too technical, it just didn't flow as if she were just doing it "by the numbers".

Updated On: 7/18/10 at 09:28 AM

that's all fine and well, but what really does your opinion matter if you just weren't there?! Remember, there are some of us here who express opinions based on actual experiences working with or watching these performers live and not from video at all!

Of course there were/are great regional Cassies...and I love many, many of them! but I have yet to see a video of a "Music/Mirror" performance that captures the strange, exciting awkwardness of that scene and to the magic that so many actresses have brought to it.

Carlos: What you see as "by the numbers" dancing, for many of us looks like DYNAMICS, the kind of impactive phrasing and neat finishes that was once a coveted quality of theatrical (Fosse/Bennett) dancing.

sorry, ghostlight2, but I just happen to believe that if you see (and can remember!) a live performance, you DO have a unique and privileged perspective into forming an opinion of the performance as a live performance.

"You see what you see whether you see it live or not" is the death knell of the performing arts.