A CHORUS LINE Special: 'My Inner Cassie'
 As the excitement and anticipation began for the arrival of the new production of A CHORUS LINE, I got to thinking about the extraordinary history of this unique musical.
Also, as BroadwayWorld.com began doing book reports recently, I got to revisit The Longest Line, On the Line and Donna McKechnie's new book Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life. In addition I tracked down an old VHS copy of the Richard Attenborough film of A CHORUS LINE...which Broadway's "gypsy population" was up in arms over, when it first came out.
In The Longest Line, Peter von Mayrhauser is quoted as saying "everyone wanted to be Cassie." This then got me to thinking, "Where are all those Cassies who danced across the stage of the Shubert Theater, during this legendary run of a now legendary musical about to return in a new revival?"
A CHORUS LINE does have the distinction of being the first and longest running AMERICAN Broadway musical (because the musicals achieving longer runs than A CHORUS LINE - Cats, Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera - are all of British origin).
So...after a couple of sleepless nights...I knew that I had to find those Cassies. The journey led me to some unexpected surprises and often times moved me to tears. For this reason, it is with great pride that we are able to share this piece with all of you.
There were 9 Cassies during the entire Broadway run. I went after all of them and must acknowledge and thank, not only the extraordinary women who participated, but also original cast member and A CHORUS LINE expert - Thommie Walsh. I will be forever grateful.
The assignment: ONE SIMPLE QUESTION - "What Do You Remember Most About Playing Cassie?"
 Donna McKechnie"What a challange for me. I have so many special moments that I never tired of experiencing. There was always the moment when I heard Zach say 'Cassie, stay on stage.' I would feel my stomach rise, with my emotions as I walked forward, anticipating the journey that I was going to take along with each new audience.
Another one.
There was always a powerful feeling of pride I got, realizing how grateful I was to have a life in the theatre. It resonated with me especially when I held that note on the word, 'dance,' looking up to the balcony, taking it all in with the gesture of my right arm, just before I started to dance.
Another one, and perhaps my favorite.
During 'The Music and the Mirror,' out of the 'Swan Lake' section, as we called it, that beautiful trumpet solo began and I picked up the momentum into the circle step. As I turned into the layouts covering the entire expanse of the stage, I would feel the wind against my face. It felt like I was flying, and the music soared, lifting me higher and higher.
Yes, I think that has to be my favorite." |
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 Robert Diamond founded BroadwayWorld.com in 2003, which has now become the largest theatre web site in the world. He also serves as the site's Editor-in-Chief, covering Broadway and beyond, with specific local coverage for 100 cities in the United States, 30 countries worldwide and 15 other related areas of entertainment - including dance, opera, fashion, concerts, comedy, films, television and more.The 2001 Syracuse University graduate (School of Information Studies) is also the owner of Wisdom Digital Media, an award-winning leading design company for entertainment and technology web sites. In his previous life, he held an executive position for the world's leading publisher of technology magazines, web sites and conferences and, as a result, was named among the "Top thirty magazine industry executives under the age of 30" by FOLIO Magazine. Diamond got his start in the entertainment field, accidentally, when he created the 'official web site' (while in college) for Michael Crawford, the popular actor and original Tony and Olivier Award-winning star of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. (He still blames Crawford - and credits him - for anything that goes particularly right or wrong during an average day.) As a respected member of the Broadway and theatre community, Diamond also served as Lead Producer for a series of sold-out shows using the BroadwayWorld.com 'brand' for a set of 'Standing Ovations' concerts, which also branched out into titles that included Holiday Shows and even more specific concerts like 'From Stage to Screen and Back Again' in tandem with publishers and movie studios. All proceeds were in turn donated to Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, the industry's leader in aid for performers in need. Robert lives in Manhattan with his wife and two dogs, growing the business and getting little sleep. In addition, you can usually find him in a theatre many nights a week. Robert's very popular blog, 'The Broadway Pulse' appears daily on BroadwayWorld.com and he also writes weekly about theatre for the USA Network's Character Approved blog. In December of last year, Diamond was one of 5 Syracuse University Alumni, all having achieved success in the world of start-ups, business growth and venture capital, participating on a panel addressing young alumni who are currently pursuing their dreams of running their own business and experiencing the day to day challenges of a startup. It is part of the university's new Student Accelerator Program, for which Rob was recommended by Syracuse University's i-School.
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