Question about A Chorus Line
I know that the story was workshopped from a bunch of dancers who were auditioning for an early 70s revival of "Knickerbocker Holiday" that never happened. But some of the characters in the show seem very much based on the people who played them. For example, Connie is obviously based on Baayork Lee, the great short dancer of Asian heritage who originally played her, and I know Pamela Blair really did get lots of plastic surgery to advance her career, like her character Val did in "Dance Ten, Looks Three".
But does the story of Cassie coincide with the story of Donna McKechnie? Was (is?) Kelly Bishop really a sour and pill-popping bitch like Sheila? Did Priscilla Lopex really feel nothing when her drama teacher died, like Morales?
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 27, 2024 4:23 AM
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Well, regarding Cassie being based on Donna McKechnie, there’s a line in the show where someone wonders at the fact that Cassie has shown up to this chorus audition — “You stopped two shows cold!”
Which was true, she stopped the show in “Promises, Promises” and “Company.”
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | September 27, 2024 3:09 AM
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It was all over the place. Mitzi Hamilton who played Val in the first International Company was at the original tapings and her story is the original behind the plastic surgery. Blair's foul mouthed monologue is her. Cassie is a blend of several women. The return to Broadway after trying her luck in Hollywood was based on a dancer who was in Cactus Flower but whose career never went beyond that. She auditioned for Bennett who said no, thus the original Cassie ending. The idea of Zach's career going upwards and Cassie's going down is based on Bennett and Leland Palmer. Lopez's Nothing is indeed based on her time at High School of Performing Arts. Carole Bishop said that the scripts often had what she said word for word. And the Paul monologue was Nicholas Dante. The only reason he got a writer's credit was because Bennett needed the story.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | September 27, 2024 3:18 AM
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R2, THANK YOU. I’m a serious fan of ACL. Your post was so great to read — I didn’t know a lot of what you shared!
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | September 27, 2024 3:50 AM
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A few more. Donna's stories are scattered throughout. Maggie's monologue during At The Ballet is all Donna as is Judy's story about shaving her sister's hair. Kelly Bishop's story is both Sheila and Bebe in ATB. Bennett said he modeled Sheila on both Bishop and Fosse dancer Charlene Ryan who played Sheila in LA. Sammy Williams' story is Mike's. Richie's story was Candy Brown's. Bennett made Larry a version of one of his old boyfriends, possibly Larry Fuller. When he came to see the show, Bennett noted that he chose the handsomest actor he could for the part (Clive Clerk).
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 27, 2024 4:23 AM
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