AChorus Line will be one singular sensation at Stagecoach Productions
ByJanine Leffler
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind thescenes of a Broadway audition? Audience members will get a taste of the processwhen they see the popular musical A ChorusLine at Stagecoach Productions this November. Cast member Michael Galinson who plays Al says,“This show is not to be missed!”
AChorus Line is directed by Scott Severance. While casting the male roles was a challenge,he is very excited to be working with such a talented cast of actors, many whomhave either won or have been nominated for a NH Theatre Award. In a recentinterview, Severance discussed the differences between community theatre andBroadway theatre, mostly stressing that actors in community theatre are unpaid,and have to balance rehearsal schedules with work and family life. Severancestated that the two most iconic songs in the show are What I Did For Love and TheMusic and The Mirror. He went on to say “What makes What I Did For Love an iconic song is that it really brings thefact that the actors love what they do into perspective.”
Veteran Rachel Cerullo who has previously performedin the ensemble of the play Floyd Collinsand played Muriel in Dirty RottenScoundrels, looks forward to playing the role of Diana Morales and singing the song Nothing. “Many of the songs sung by individual characters in the show arealso featured solo dance number, but Nothingis just me and the song. I love that it's a pure storytelling moment.” She continued by saying that when it came to the characterdevelopment process it had been relatively simple, “A lot of what Scott and I came up with during ourbrainstorming session for Diana, regarding her goals, her attitude abouttheater, life, and family, hits very close to home for me. So anytime I'm stuckor wondering how Diana would react at a certain point in the show, I default to‘What would I do in this situation?’"
Several actors are making their Stagecoach debuts inA Chorus Line and look forward tothe experience of working with a new company. Arielle Kaplan who is playing Connie said in a recent interview, “I amso pleased to be working with such a friendly and talented group. It's alwayshard coming to a new company, and I couldn't be happier to have found this one.I suppose that's the magic of A ChorusLine-- it creates this feeling of camaraderie. We all fail and then we allsucceed as a group. It's amazing.” ScottFoster Allen who is playing Don had similar thoughts and elaborated by saying “Ilove working in new environments and meeting new people. I still cannot believethat I actually got cast!”
When it comes to developing their characterseveryone has a different method. MandyNickerson finds her character development process for Bebe to be a simple one,“Bebe has very little confidence in herself, but, in auditioning for show aftershow and continuing to do what she loves, she, in turn, finds herself along theway.” For Nickerson the most enjoyablepart of playing Bebe is all the dancing, “Often, I find myself in shows where I’vewanted there to be more dance and more difficult choreography. I guess I've found my match with this one.”
For developing Connie’s character, Arielle Kaplanruns through all the dance numbers while keeping the end of the show in theback of her mind. “Each time we begin, Connie doesn't know if she's going tomake the cut you see at the top of the show, much less the final eight at theend.” Her the most enjoyable part of playing Connie is that she is one of thehappiest characters on the line, “I likethat she's not so hard and jaded as some of the other characters--it's a nicedeparture from some other roles I've had the chance to perform.”
AChorus Line runs November 4th-6that the Janice B Streeter Theatre in Nashua. Evening performances are at 8pm on Friday and Saturday and the matineeperformance is at 2pm on Sunday. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 forchildren $12 and under. To reservetickets please call the box office at 320-3780.
Published in Telegraph Encore October 28th
