Is this "A Chorus Line" anecdote true?- Page 2

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 10:10pm

Well, I think all of the CHORUS LINErs outlived Bennett, so they had that.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 10:11pm

The real question, though, is how would BWW reacted (if BWW existed then) to Kelly Bishop's breach of contract?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 11:21pm

Ok, from everything I've ever found this story is partially true.

First off, she left the show in September, a year after it opened on Broadway. She was the first of the OBC to leave, and it was more than likely over money.

HOWEVER, the version I heard is that Bishop was ill that night and had to leave suddenly. In fact it's even cited (or at least a performance where Bishop left) in "The Longest Line" as being January 31, 1976.

According to Patti D'Beck (u/s Bebe):
I was on the night Kelly Bishop walked off the stage. It was my first time performing on the line as Bebe and I was horrified, thinking my performance was so terrible that Kelly left the stage! Zach tried to keep her on, but Kelly left. You could hear pages flipping in the orchestra, because we were obviously cutting "At the Ballet" and skipping to "Sing." Michael felt the audience got so in touch with if we were up to or through "At the Ballet," and an actor couldn't finish the show, the understudy would not continue for them. There was a whole diagram on paper of who does what lines, who does the vocals, who does the accident scene. These were scenarios that we were supposed to be prepared for. But of course, there was always this scramble of "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 11:34pm

So she left a performance because she was (allegedly) sick? See, the line that preceeded the blurb I posted in the first first was "However, her withdrawal from A Chorus Line wasn't as unspectacular as it might sound," sort of implying that she said she couldn't do it and walked off for good, never to return (until she came back in 1980 or so, I guess).

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 11:43pm

PRS-
That's always been *my* understanding. I could be wrong though.