April 7, 1999

Only exits left as 'Chorus Line' closes

      Editor's Note: This the fifth in a five part series following the Old Town Playhouse's production of "A Chorus Line" from casting to final curtain call.

By Garret Leiva
Herald staff writer
       After four months of muscle-cramping choreography, stretching vocal chords to new cleft scales and drilling line after line of dialogue comes the hardest moment on stage - silence.
      For cast and crew of the Old Town Playhouse production of "A Chorus Line," the final curtain call Saturday night brings realization that there are no more entrances left, only exits. While it is with a sense of relief they reclaim the every day roles of 'mother,' 'husband,' 'daughter,' 'student;' there is an equal amount of sadness that the show can't go on.
      "I think it is a real bittersweet moment," noted director Kris Hains, speaking backstage during Friday night's performance at Traverse City West Senior High School.
      "It's like planting a tree, nurturing it and watching it grow, and then having to cut it down. It's hard to let it all go."
      Seeing the stage fade to black may seem somewhat of a surreal experience for Hains. After all, the veteran OTP director has spent the better part of fall, winter and spring rehearsing and staging this Broadway musical for the 1998-99 OTP theater season.
      "The rehearsal period is so long and then you get to the actual performances and it goes by so quickly. It's amazing how fast 11 performances go by; every night it gets harder and harder to watch," Hains said.
      Difficult as it is to hear applause turn into silence, those involved with theater know the reality behind curtains and scenery facades.
      "You get used to knowing that this time eventually comes," said Patrick Cotner, who played the role of Paul in "A Chorus Line" and who has been involved in numerous OTP productions including, "Much Ado About Nothing," "Camelot" and "My Fair Lady."
      Grace Brauer, who played the role of Connie, admitted that her final night on stage will undoubtedly be the most difficult. Like most cast members, the Traverse Christian School senior said she will struggle through the mixed emotion of tremendous relief with a touch of melancholy.
      "As much as I really want it to be over after all the rehearsal time, I'll really miss it. I think when I'm doing the kicks at the end it will be pretty emotional," said Brauer, who has experienced closing night before - as Frenchie in the OTP production of the musical "Grease."
      "When I go back to school (Monday) it will be like it never happened and that will be quite a change."
      Of course adjusting to a life devoid of top hat dance numbers often means saying good-bye to cast mates and reintroducing yourself to friends, co-workers, the family dog or perhaps your entire family. While Jacob Krammer looks forward to reacclimating himself with his life before "A Chorus Line," leaving behind the last 13 weeks won't be easy as exiting stage left.
      "It is like a family. You fight or you won't talk to someone for a while because your upset with them; it's very emotional," said the Northwestern Michigan College student, who played Al in "A Chorus Line."
      "I don't think some people realize how much really goes into a play besides rehearsal time. It's more than just rehearsing with people, it's getting to know them."
      As much as he loves the theater, veteran OTP performer Matt McCormick said the end of a production means that life can return to some semblance of the word normal. At least until the next round of auditions.
      "It would be very different if this was all I did, but when you have a job during the day and then either rehearsals or performances at night it really adds up after a while," said McCormick, who has worked on or off-stage in 50 or more OTP productions in the last 10 years.
      While the spotlights are dark as cast members return to roles and lives without a musical score, the memories of "A Chorus Line" - be they bits of dialogue or entire scenes - are unlikely to fade. For the show's director, the entire experience was hopefully something worth singing about.
      "There is a part of the song "What I Did for Love" that goes: 'kiss the day good-bye and point me towards tomorrow ... we did what we had to do but I can't regret what I did for love, what I did for love,'" Hains said.
      "While we are heading out in our own directions my hope is that no one has regrets about this production because in the long run I think it was worth it."