PREVIEW ARTICLE: A classic musical

http://www.southtownstar.com/entertainment/firstlook/801998,022108CoverChorus.article

February 21, 2008

By Don Snider Correspondent

Anyone who ever applied for a job or a position - which means about everyone - should relate to the classic musical "A Chorus Line." The opening line, "I Hope I Get It," sums up the feeling we all have had while going through that job interview or tryout. In show business, it is called the "audition."

The Drama Group will perform "A Chorus Line" Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Bloom Auditorium in Chicago Heights.

Nicole Lazuka will direct the show, which the Drama Group last performed 20 years ago. "A Chorus Line" is Lazuka's first directing experience, but she has been the highly regarded choreographer for such stellar Drama Group productions as "The Full Monty," "Cabaret," "Bye Bye Birdie," "The Music Man," "Oklahoma," "Cats" and "Nine.

"Being a dancer myself, this is very personal," Lazuka said. "I've been auditioning for shows for many years." Now a Homewood resident, Lazuka graduated from Thornwood High School in South Holland, then took classes at the Johnson Dancing Center in Dolton and the American Dance Center in Homewood.

"A Chorus Line" is one of the most honored musicals in Broadway history. The show opened in 1975 and played for a then-record 6,137 performances and won nine Tony Awards. A celebration of the American musical, the production also is about competition and people putting their hopes, dreams and their very livelihood on the line. "A Chorus Line" takes the audience through a realistic auditioning process, beginning with a director named Zach. He has assembled more than two dozen semifinalists, putting them through intense dance combinations to thin their numbers down to 16 and then a final eight including four men and four women. Zach also interviews those auditioning to determine their mental makeup. From each one, he elicits a personal history and their fantasies and aspirations. Some of the numbers, with music and lyrics by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, are humorous or serious and include "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three," "At the Ballet," "The Music and the Mirror" "Nothing" and the show's signature finale, "One (Singular Sensation)." "The auditions for this (Drama Group) show were similar to the story," Lazuka said. "They were very intense as we concentrated on dancing and vocals."

Lazuka, who has been a Drama Group member for seven years, said she has been blessed with a great support system. She cited musical director Tom Venutolo, assistant director M.J. Renzi, assistant choreographer Tina Zagone and costume designer Diana Principe. "This is as dedicated of a cast as I've ever worked with," Lazuka said. "Many of them were in the cast of 'Cats,' one of the most triumphant recent dance productions in south suburban community theater." Besides choreographing "Cats," Lazuka also played the role of Electra.

The "A Chorus Line" narrative concentrates on the 17 auditioners who survive the first cut. Through Zach's series of interviews, the audience gets to know them as individuals. The females in the group include Lindsay Babcock as Connie, Nicole Dutko as Kristine, Meghan Falica-Hoyt as Diana; Stefanie Gagliano as Judy, Dee Hamilton as Maggie, Hillary Jones as Bebe, Amanda Ketchum as Val, Ann Mazzotti as Sheila and Jaime Volk as Cassie. The male dance auditioners are Rocco Ayala as Paul, Joseph Clair as Mike, Frank Lopez as Richie, David Luecht as Don, Charlie Misovye as Bobby, Mike Mulhearn as Mark, Mike Padden as Al, and Justin Schultz as Greg. Mark Hamilton plays Zach, the hard-driven director. The large cast also includes 19 persons in the pit and cut dancing choruses or other supporting roles.

”I've been involved in many big shows as choreographer," Lazuka said, "but being the director is like being a parent. "You don't know what's it's like until you get into it." Lazuka, incidentally, became a parent of a boy, Leo, only 17 months ago.