This document provides character descriptions and audition pieces for the musical "A Chorus Line". It opened on Broadway in 1975 and was a critical and commercial success. The story follows dancers auditioning for spots in a Broadway musical. There are 17 principal dancer characters described in detail, including their backgrounds, personalities, and audition selections. Cut dancers are also needed to fill out the chorus and sing in the wings. The document aims to help actors prepare for auditions by understanding the characters and choosing appropriate songs to showcase their talents.
This document provides character descriptions and audition pieces for the musical "A Chorus Line". It opened on Broadway in 1975 and was a critical and commercial success. The story follows dancers auditioning for spots in a Broadway musical. There are 17 principal dancer characters described in detail, including their backgrounds, personalities, and audition selections. Cut dancers are also needed to fill out the chorus and sing in the wings. The document aims to help actors prepare for auditions by understanding the characters and choosing appropriate songs to showcase their talents.
This document provides character descriptions and audition pieces for the musical "A Chorus Line". It opened on Broadway in 1975 and was a critical and commercial success. The story follows dancers auditioning for spots in a Broadway musical. There are 17 principal dancer characters described in detail, including their backgrounds, personalities, and audition selections. Cut dancers are also needed to fill out the chorus and sing in the wings. The document aims to help actors prepare for auditions by understanding the characters and choosing appropriate songs to showcase their talents.
This document provides character descriptions and audition pieces for the musical "A Chorus Line". It opened on Broadway in 1975 and was a critical and commercial success. The story follows dancers auditioning for spots in a Broadway musical. There are 17 principal dancer characters described in detail, including their backgrounds, personalities, and audition selections. Cut dancers are also needed to fill out the chorus and sing in the wings. The document aims to help actors prepare for auditions by understanding the characters and choosing appropriate songs to showcase their talents.
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A Chorus Line
Audition Pieces & Character Descriptions
A Chorus Line opened in 1975 and was an unprecedented box office success winning 9 Tony Awards and the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama (one of the few Musicals to ever receive this honour). With over 6,137 performances it became the longest running Production in Broadway history at the time. The story is taken from a book by James Kirkwood Jnr and Nicholas Dante and centres on a chorus audition for a Broadway musical. Director- Zach & his Choreographer -Larry are putting the dancers through their paces. Every dancers needs the work and is desperate to be chosen. After the first recall, 17 dancers are chosen but only 8 will be needed. They are told that Zach wants to learn more about their individual personalities and what inspired them to become dancers. They are made to introduce themselves and reluctantly they each reveal their pasts. Through early life experiences progressing to adulthood they bare their souls and often have to relive painful memories. By the end of the show we can identify and empathise with all the individual characters. We feel we know each and every one of them by their heartfelt, honest speeches. However, during the finale One, these characters replace their eclectic and very personal mis of rehearsal clothes with identical gold sparkly tailcoats and top hats as each dancer joins the troupe, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. Ironically each character, who has previously been an individual to the audience, becomes an anonymous member of the chorus!
PRINCIPALS ZACH (The shows Director)
Very bussiness like - a perfectionist, harsh, wants to show the chorus line that he is incharge. Wants to instil a bit of fear so that he commands respect. - Non Singing - Dialogue... Page 85-88 - You will also be required to speak a bit of the opening to check you can stay in time!!!! Opening bars 1-29 LARRY (The shows Choreographer) Sleek and to the point, great DANCER. Wants to help Zach to cast the best dancers. - Non Singing ALAN DELUCA From the Bronx. Very straight. Street tough, macho, only been married a short while (to Kristine) - Dialogue... Page 34 - 36 - Song... Sing! bars 12-58 BEBE BENZENHEIMER From Boston. Very insecure about her looks, very funny which is a cover for her insecurities. Feels a little excluded but just wants to be liked. (A young Barbara Striesand) - Dialogue... her tiny introduction on Page 15 - Song... At The Ballet bars 50-84B BOBBY MILLS
Flamboyant, funny, bitchy and witty. Very sharp tounged. Covers everything over with a joke, had a very hard childhood. From up state New York. - Dialogue... Page 22-26 (cutting out song) - Song... One (Bows) bars 13-44 CASSIE FERGUSON Older Dancer. Returning to the chorus after years of being a featured performer.(This takes a lot of courage) Fantastic dancer. Shy & kind hearted. Previously had a relationship with Zach. - Dialogue... Page 85-88 - Song... Music & The Mirror bars 186-208 CONNIE WONG Experienced dancer. SHORT. Very experienced dancer. Other girls look up to her to see how its done. Married. A bit of a mother hen with a great sense of humour. Born in Chinatown, Lower East Side, New York. - Dialogue... Page 41 & 43 (cutting out song) - Song... One (Bows) bars 13-44 DIANA MORALES Streetwise, a little bit tough, eternal optimist and starry eyed. A determined athletic dancer from the Bronx. - Dialogue... Page 44 INTO Song... Nothing bars 71-End AND What I Did For Love bars 34-64 DON KERR Ladies man, married, into cars, money & women. Hedonist, cool, flirts with Maggie, very sure of himself. All American guy, Cocky, worked with Zach before. From Kansas City. - Dialogue... Page 46-48 (cutting out song) - Song... One (Bows) bars 13-44 GREGORY GARDENER Over sexed, over drugged, done it all before. Gay. Very concious of how he looks and appears to others. Quite a smart-alec and has worked with Zach before. Very East Side, New York. - Dialogue... Page 51-52 (?speak his sung lines) - Song... One (Bows) bars 13-44 JUDY TURNER Funny, gawky, nervous, scatterbrain. Warm & hopeful. Very awkward except when dancing. - Dialogue... Page 50 Speak the sung lines! - Song... One (Bows) bars 13-44 KRISTINE URICH Wide-eyed, naive. Very nervous when not dancing. From St Louis, Missouri. - Dialogue... Page 34-36 - Song... Sing! bars 12-58 (Note for song: Sing! is 99% spoken and the bits that are sung have to be PAINFUL!) MAGGIE WINSLOW A sweetheart, little sister type, dreamer. Fairly experienced dancer from California. - Dialogue... Page 33 - Song... At The Ballet bars 121-145 (Note for song- we are looking for someone who can sustain the top note with great strength & tone!) MARK ANTHONY Optimistic, first timer, naive but charming. Great dancer and All American Kid. Hopeful & fresh, obsessed with sex. Very young from Arizona. - Dialogue... Page 39-41 - Song... One (Bows) bars 13-44
MIKE COSTA Quite aggressive, determined, cocky, sure of himself BUT likeable. Great dancer, has worked with Zach before. Experienced and flirts with the girls. From New Jersey. - Dialogue... Page 20-22 INTO Song... I Can Do That bars 1-50 PAUL SAN MARCO Introverted and slightly insecure but loves performing - is only now starting to feel comfortable about being gay and accepted by his parents. From Spanish Harlem up from New York. Friends with Diana. - Dialogue... Page 69-73 - Song... Opening bars 373-end RICHIE WALTERS From Missouri. All American Black dude, enthusiastic, cool & funny. Very likeable and laid back. - Dialogue... Page 98-99 - Song... Montage Part 4' bars 229-270 SHEILA BRYANT Oldest Dancer! Brassy, sexy, bitchy & sophisticated. One o the more popular dancers, very funny. Ex Las Vegas showgirl from Colorado. - Dialogue... Page 27-30 INTO Song... At The Ballet bars 1-48 VALERIE CLARK Sexy, sassy, funny & foul-mouthed. A brazen, direct, attention seeker from Vermont. - Dialogue... Page 59-60 INTO Song Dance 10; Looks 3' bars 171-end ..................................................................................................................................................... We also require CUT DANCERS who will double up as WING SINGERS!! - They will appear in the Opening and Finale (One) and will sing in the wings for the rest of the show. - There are few little characters who will have lines of dialogue or lines to sing in the opening section. (See below) VICKI - Sexy, Californian Blonde BUTCH - Hard Faced - does not listen to corrections TRISHA - College leaver, young & fresh faced TOM - Doesnt speak but mouths the dance moves! LOIS - Ballerina - Dances the Jazz Combination like a ballerina FRANK - Headband Boy - Looks at his feet whilst dancing ROY - Wrong armed - awkward as well as many others!!!!!!!!! You will be required to take part in the dance audition (although DONT WORRY... YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A GREAT DANCER!!!!) and you will be expected to sing One (Bows) bars 13-44
