A CHORUS LINE CAST BREAKDOWN – PIP 2020
Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered around seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. A Chorus Line provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer, as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers.
NOTES: *THE ENTIRE COMPANY OF “A CHORUS LINE” MUST BE SUBERB DANCERS AS WELL AS STRONG SINGERS. There is flexibility in the ages as listed.
CASSIE FERGUSON: (Female, 30-35) A gifted star, stand-out dancer with a reputation for featured roles in two Broadway shows. Now she needs a job. She has a complicated romantic history with Zach. Seeking a true triple threat performer. She sings the iconic “The Music and the Mirror.”
DIANA MORALES: (Female, 22-30) A streetwise Latina, an eternal optimist. A determined and athletic dancer from the Bronx. Sings “Nothing,” in which she reveals herself to be funny, charming, and vulnerable. Also carries the company into “What I Did For Love”.
JUDY TURNER: (Female, 28) Tall and thin. Funny, gawky, nervous. Warm and hopeful. Very awkward except when dancing.
VAL CLARK: (Female, Late 20s) Sassy, funny. A foul-mouthed, excellent dancer who couldn’t get performing jobs because of her looks until she had plastic surgery. A brazen, direct, attention-seeker from Vermont. Sings “Dance 10, Looks 3"
BEBE BENZENHEIMER: (Female, 26) Very insecure about her looks, however irrationally. Tries to be funny to cover her insecurities. She is quiet and vulnerable. Sings the middle harmony in “At the Ballet.”
CONNIE WONG: (Female, 20’s – early 30’s) Asian. Experienced dancer. Married. Petite. A bit of a mother hen with a great sense of humor. Born in Chinatown, New York. Should believably play 4’10’’.
KRISTINE URICH: (Female, 18-25) Al’s scatter-brained wife who can’t sing, but dances OUTRAGEOUSLY well. She is awkward, anxious and hilarious. She “speaks” the song “Sing,” but DOES sing in the ensemble numbers of the show.
MAGGIE WINSLOW: (Female, 20’s) A sweetheart, little sister type. Dreamer. Fairly experienced dancer from a troubled home in California. Seeking an incredibly warm singer with a mix belt up to E natural for the soaring climax of “At the Ballet.”
SHEILA BRYANT: (Female, late 20’s) Oldest dancer on the line. Confident, brassy, and sophisticated. One of the more popular dancers; humorous. Sings the low harmony in “At the Ballet.”
ZACH: (Male, 30s to early 40s) A charismatic, controlling, manipulative calculated but brilliant Broadway director/ choreographer. Strong, intuitive, and powerful. He seems always to be in complete control, even when facing his personal relationship with Cassie, or the emotional needs and responses of his dancers. Non-singing, but should have movement ability, as he demonstrates some choreography.
LARRY: (Male, 20’s – early 30’s) Zack’s long time assistant. Bright, helpful, confident and superb dancer.
BOBBY MILLS: (Male, 20’s) He is zestful, witty, attractive. Very sharp tongued. Covers everything over with a joke; had an unusual upbringing in upstate New York.
MARK ANTHONY: (Male, late teens – early 20’s) Optimistic, naïve, charming. Great dancer. An all-American kid, with memories of a gonorrhea scare.
MIKE COSTA: (Male, 20’s – early 30’s ) Italian, determined, cocky, sure of himself, but likable. He’s worked with Zach before. Flirtatious. From New Jersey. Must be able to tap. Tumbling a BIG plus!
RICHIE WALTERS: (Male, 20’s – early 30’s) African American. From Missouri. Enthusiastic, cool and very funny. Likeable and laid back. African-American; strong dancer, dynamic falsetto.
AL DELUCA: (Male, 20’s – early 30’s) From the Bronx. Kristine's husband. From a working class background. A relaxed, masculine presence. Seeking a strong singer, as he is the contrast to the non-singing Kristine in “Sing.”
PAUL SAN MARCO: (Male, Mid – late 20’s) Puerto Rican. Introverted and slightly insecure but loves performing. From Spanish Harlem, New York. Friends with Diana. Great actor. Delivers a beautiful, raw and vulnerable monologue about coming out to his parents.
DON KERR: (Male, 20’s – early 30’s) Ladies’ man, married, and into cars, money, and women. Very sure of himself. All American guy. Cocky because he has worked with Zach before. From Kansas City.
GREGORY GARDENER: (Male, 20’s – early 30’s) A droll smart-alec. Has worked with Zach before. Very East Side New York. Sassy, Jewish, gay man.
CUT DANCERS: The following characters in A Chorus Line are eliminated during the initial cut. They may be used as offstage singers, and/or as understudies. These actors will have a limited rehearsal schedule.
Lois Dilettente - Ballerina who can’t get through the jazz combination. Non-speaking Tricia - Been in a touring company but not a Broadway show. Tricia has a vocal solo in "I Hope I Get It.” Traditionally, she’s the Maggie understudy. Vicki Vickers - A pretty, California-blonde type. She has not had any ballet training nor done any Broadway shows. Butch Barton - Has a bit of an attitude. Can’t correct his mistake in the first boys' combination. Non-speaking. Frank - Continually looks at his feet while dancing. He wears a headband - “headband boy” Non- speaking Tom Tucker - He’s seen mouthing the counts during both combinations. Non-speaking Roy - Has only had one year of ballet training. “Wrong-arms Roy”