When Maine South High School theater director Carrie Saurer selected “A Chorus Line” as this year’s school musical, she was thinking of the parallels between the story depicted on stage and the lives of the students who would audition to tell it.
The play depicts “what it takes to pursue a dream of performance,” Saurer explained — and that is exactly what she sees each day in Maine South’s theater department.
” ‘A Chorus Line’ is a way of giving those kids in this school a shout out to all they devote to the fine arts,” she said. “There isn’t another musical that makes that statement and highlights what people do because they love it …. It really is a tribute to all of our kids, told through fictional characters.”
“A Chorus Line,” which is centered on a group of dancers vying for a spot on the chorus line of a Broadway theater production, opens Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Park Ridge high school, 1111 S. Dee Road.
Additional performances are scheduled for April 21, 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m., and April 22 at 2 p.m.
The musical is the high school adaption of the original Broadway production, which means some of the more mature content has been eliminated, but Saurer, who is directing Maine South’s cast, said the performance “doesn’t lose the heart of the piece.”
In fact, Maine South’s production will feature much of the original Broadway choreography, said choreographer Konnie Kay, who has been working with the cast since mid-February.
“All the iconic stuff is in there,” said Kay, who has performed in professional productions of “A Chorus Line” herself.
Many of the students had little to no dance experience when they auditioned, Kay and Saurer acknowledged.
“I’ve never seen kids work as hard as these kids have worked,” said Kay, who led dance rehearsals three days a week after school. “I think sometimes just making them believe they can do it makes them able to do it. I didn’t make it simple, and they rose to the challenge.”
Maine South senior Tommy Ortman, of Niles, who plays the role of Alan in the musical, acknowledged that he had no dance training when he auditioned.
“It was something new to try,” he said. “I definitely didn’t pick it up very easily at all. I tried to go into it with an open mind. There were definitely some really hard days with rehearsing, but I kept with it, kept practicing.”
The styles of dance in the production include jazz, ballet and tap.
“The kids that didn’t think they were dancers are now dancers for the rest of their lives,” Saurer said.
Ortman said cast members have helped each other perfect their steps and their performances.
“There’s such an intense ensemble feel — everybody is so connected to each other and supportive and you can feel it on stage,” he said.
The cast consists of Moise Tamas, Carina Milano, Alexandra Mack, Tommy Ortman, Gabriel Ortiz, Grace Goble, Kaylee Hayden, Andrew Failma, Claire Connolly, Emily Hansen, Carly Swanson, Zech Pappageorge, Samantha Mayer, Genevieve O’Shea, Jon Luke Lassa, Lena Pontikes, Steve Manos, Kat Parker, Markos Carmona, Anne Papciak, Monika Junkovic, Moises Vizcaino, Tom Forde, Meghan Breslin, Abby Cohen, Grace Dziedzic, Valerie Joaquin, Stephanie Kolar, Klaudia Kopacz, Marie Normandin, Jeda Phuttharak, Bonnie Price, Kat Smail, and Erin Weiss.
“A Chorus Line” is produced by Fine Arts Department Chair Teralyn Keith, with technical direction by Pat Sanchez, costumes by Lauri McCleneghan, pit orchestra direction by David Hutter, vocal direction by Matthew Hanes, assistant direction by Brennan Roach and hair and makeup by Janet Hoeg.
Tickets can be purchased via Maine South’s website, south.maine207.org.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
