Eight performances are scheduled at Wilbraham Monson Academy’s Fisk Theater in Wilbraham
Amy Meek as Cassie and Arnaldo Andre Rivera as Paul in the Theatre Guild of Hampden production of "A Chorus Line."
It’s a drama that touches all aspects of life.
Michael Bennett’s Tony-award winning “A Chorus Line” has humor, touching moments and struggles.
“I’m very excited about doing the show because it has not been done in a long time, and we have some of the best dancers, actors and singers from the area” in the production, said Mark H. Giza, artistic director of Theater Guild of Hampden.
Theater Guild’s production will open on Thursday at Wilbraham Monson Academy’s Fisk Theater at 423 Main St., Wilbraham.
There will be eight performances: March 8-10 and March 15-17 at 8 p.m. and March 11 and 18 at 4 p.m.
“A Chorus Line” is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line, based on the book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. With lyrics by Edward Kleban and music by Marvin Hamlisch, it features 19 main characters and is set on the stage of a Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical.
The personalities of the performers and the choreographer are revealed as they describe the events that shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers.
“I love the show because it touches all bases,” Giza said, citing its monologues, dancing and music, its look at people’s home life and struggles and how they persevere in the face of life’s difficulties. “We audition every day of our life for something,” he added.
Giza kept the 1975 time frame and its style of clothing, make up and hair for the local production of “A Chorus Line,” even procuring the gold lame costumes worn in the national tour of the show.
Choreographer Kathleen Delaney of Monson was in the original touring company of “A Chorus Line” as Sheila. “She knows the show pretty cold,” Giza said.
Amy S. Meek of Holyoke plays Cassie and has a dance/song solo of about eight minutes. “She’s brilliant,” Giza said. “She can sing and dance and act.”
Meek, who majored in dance at Butler University in Indianapolis, said the role of Cassie requires a lot of hard work, noting the intensity and length of her solo, which she described as a combination of lyrical and jazz dance.
A veteran of a few regional theater performances, Meek likes the role of Cassie. “She is so determined, and she loves dancing so much,” she said. “She is a strong character. …I really like that about her.”
Arnaldo A. Rivera of Chicopee plays the character of Paul. “He is a brilliant actor who works hard,” Giza said. “It’s a hard piece to do.”
Paul has a monologue of nearly eight minutes in which he discusses his homosexuality and his parents’ reaction to it.
“This is one of the most difficult parts I have ever had to play,” said Rivera, 31, who has been acting since he was 15. “The part calls for you to act and dance and sing, but it’s also what Paul goes through emotionally.”
Rivera said he is proud to be playing a gay character and to be able to tell a story about a gay man and the difficulties he encounters. “I want to do it justice,” he said of the part.
“The nice thing about the cast is everyone gets along. There are no prima donnas,” Giza said. “Everybody is there for everybody else. Everyone pitches in…. It’s a joy for a director.”
Rivera agreed. “It’s great to work with an ensemble like this” because so many of the parts have difficult emotions and issues to portray. “To have the other actors take it in…is a great feeling.”
Next year Giza plans to stage Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” Auditions will take place in June with the performances in March 2013.
All tickets for “A Chorus Line” are $22 and may be obtained by calling 374-2028 or ordering online at www.theaterguildofhampden.org