The cast of A Chorus Line on their most memorable auditions
Story and photos by Clara Lock
They sing, dance, and perform high kicks with pizzazz, but the cast of A Chorus Line has had their fair share of hard knocks.
The musical-about-a-musical, which opened in Singapore last Friday, tells the story of 17 dancers vying for a coveted spot to perform. Just like their characters in the show, these professional thespians uncover their aspirations and recount their audition horror stories.
Find out whose singing voice drew the most flak, and who slipped and fell in front of the director – but still ended up getting the role!
Debora Krizak (Sheila): I was in an audition, and we were down to the last six girls and six boys, and we were about 15 minutes from the end when the fire alarms went off. We all got evacuated, and that was the end of the audition! None of us ever found out if we had gotten the job. I don’t think any one of us did!
Anita Louise Combe (Cassie): A long time ago I was auditioning for Starlight Express (in which the actors perform on skates), and it was really clear that I couldn’t roller-skate.
I sort of skated around a little bit, but then they gave us some choreography, and the director looked at me and asked: “What are you doing here?” And I said: “Should I go?” He said: “Yeah, you probably should.” (laughs)
Ashley Mckenzie (Bobby): I remember my very first audition, I was straight out of school and I got a callback for one of the lead roles in the musical We Will Rock You.
One of the numbers was very high, and I was so scared. I started singing, and the director stopped me halfway through the song. He said: “It’s a little painful, and your leg’s shaking.”
Kurt Douglas (Richie): I was auditioning for A Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York, and the audition section of the dance that the director taught us started on the right foot. I don’t know why, but I kept starting on my left foot instead, and she went: “Your other right.” (They all laugh)
Leah Lim (Connie): I was auditioning for West Side Story in Australia, and it was one of the last auditions of the year. I knew I needed a job, so I went hard in my audition.
I had all this energy, but then I slipped, smack down in front of the director. I popped back up like I had never fallen down, and he said: “I love your energy, but tone it down a bit, pull yourself together and do it again.
So I did it again, and I got a callback. When I came for the callback, the first thing he said was: “Where’s Leah Lim?” I was thinking, Oh God. But he said: “Don’t worry honey, all the boys fell during the audition too.” And I got the job!
A Chorus Line runs from 4-27 May 2012 at Marina Bay Sands. For more details, visit www.sistic.com.sg
