SHU Presents “A Chorus Line” in First Main Stage Show Since 2019

Performers from the original Broadway and revival casts help students and orchestra prepare

Sacred Heart University’s theatre arts program will welcome audiences back to the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts for its first main-stage musical performance since 2019 when it presents A Chorus Line April 7-10.

With theatre lights dimmed for safety since the pandemic began, SHU is pulling out the stops for the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical with a live, professional orchestra and about 70 students involved in the cast and crew.

Performances will take place Thursday, April 7, through Saturday, April 9, at 8 p.m., with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 10.

“We picked A Chorus Line because this is our first big production after COVID, and I want to celebrate the artists and the arts,” said Jerry Goehring, executive director of the performing arts department and director of this show. “It’s a true challenge. All these roles are triple threats, meaning our talented students have to act, sing and dance at a high level to tell this story well.”

The students have a trio of special advisers for their entree into this musical, which is based on the lives of actual Broadway dancers in the 1970s. Goehring, a Tony- and Grammy-nominated producer himself, invited three members of the original Broadway and revival casts to visit SHU and offer the cast and crew guidance and encouragement.

Carole Schweid, who played Diana in the original cast, met with students March 19. Jason Tam, who played Paul in the revival cast and also portrayed the apostle Peter in the acclaimed cast of 2018’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, will visit April 1. The next day, the company will hear from Donna McKechnie, who won a Tony Award for her performance as Cassie, who sang “The Music and the Mirror” in the original Broadway cast.

Winner of 12 Tony Awards when it debuted in 1975, A Chorus Line also won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The story follows the spirit and tension of a Broadway chorus audition, showcasing the talents and stamina of the principal players. It explores the auditioners’ inner lives and bittersweet ambitions with powerhouse numbers, including “What I Did for Love,” “I Hope I Get It,” “At the Ballet” and “One.”

SHU students will take the lead both on stage and off, working on lights, sound and costumes, Goehring said. The cast includes about 34 performers on stage and eight off-stage singers, as well as a 13-piece orchestra of professional musicians.

Julianna Rezza ’23, who is pursuing degrees in biology and theatre arts, said playing Diana, who sings “Nothing” and “What I Did for Love,” means rehearsing six to seven days a week on dance moves and emotional depth. “A Chorus Line is challenging, first and foremost because it is one of the most honest pieces of musical theatre,” said the East Islip, NY, resident.

Rezza said she relates to the characters’ dedication of time and effort to what means the most to them. Singing “What I Did for Love,” she thinks of her grandmother standing by her grandfather as he fought cancer, the Broadway performers who continued to go to lessons and practice despite the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the injury that ended her soccer career. “A Chorus Line tells the story of people who understand that when things end or when they don’t meet our expectations, they still matter because we loved them; we learned from them and they helped mold us. I am extraordinarily lucky to be a part of that,” she said.

Abigail Palmer ‘23, a strategic communication, public relations and advertising major from New Hampshire, has played a prominent role on the creative team and crew for several SHU performances and is excited to be on stage as Cassie for this show. “I am more than grateful to be able to be a part of this production, coming back strong after this pandemic and being able to be a part of this experience,” she said.

SHU’s theatre arts program, which offers a major and a minor, produces six full-scale productions each academic year. All shows are produced under professional direction and are open to the public.

“We pride ourselves in teaching all aspects of storytelling,” said Goehring, who most recently produced Be More Chill on Broadway, off-Broadway and in London’s West End.

Tickets for A Chorus Line are $22 for the general public; $15, students/alumni; $10, students; $5 SHU students; and free to faculty/staff with a SHU ID.

For tickets, visit www.edgertoncenter.org or call the box office at 203-371-7908.