Dobbs HS Stages Award-Winning Musical 'A Chorus Line'

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The Dobbs Ferry High School production of the award- winning musical "A Chorus Line" will open on Friday, April 26th for a 7:00 pm evening show and will also be performed on Saturday, April 27th at 5:00 pm.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.

“I picked the musical because I think the music is outstanding, both funny and touching, and the script stands the test of time,” said Georgia DeFalco, Dobbs Ferry High School/Middle School chorus teacher and the show’s director/producer.

“I also like how there is minimal scenery so the focus can be on the actor. There is no real leading role; each actor has a song and a story, so we can feature more of the kids.”

The show is set on the bare stage of an empty Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical during which time the performers and choreographer reveal the events that shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. This audition is the chance of a lifetime... it’s what they’ve worked for with every drop of sweat, every hour of training, every day of their lives.

Through narrative and song, the audience is able to get a glimpse into the personalities of the 17 main characters who are veteran hoofers, each hoping to land one last spot in the chorus line. The musical was actually conceived from several taped workshop sessions with Broadway dancers, known as "gypsies," including eight who eventually appeared in the original cast.

Instead of a standard plot, "A Chorus Line" has what might be called a "staging scheme." Presented without intermission, that scheme is a very simple one. The director tells the group that he is looking for a strong dancing chorus of four boys and four girls, and he wants to learn more about them. They are then told to talk about themselves....and the rest is musical history.

The original Broadway production was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, one of Broadways’ greatest choreographers, and opened on July 25, 1975. The music was composed by academy award-winner Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics by Edward Kleban. The book was written by playwright/novelist James Kirkwood Jr. and former dancer Nicholas Dante. A Chorus Line received 12 Tony Award nominations and won 9 of them in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. With a 15-year run, A Chorus Line is the sixth longest running Broadway show ever.

According to reviewers, the score includes some of the most memorable songs to rise naturally from the stories being told.

They include “I Hope I Get It,” a ten minute opening sequence that “sets the stage” for the story to unfold; “"What I Did For Love" which expresses the emotional drive that keeps these dancers focused, ever hopeful and free of regrets; "I Can Do That" where a dancer recalls watching his sister's dance class and trying on her ballet slippers; "Dance Ten, Looks Three," an explanation that talent doesn't count for everything with casting directors (wink, wink); and one of the most famous finale songs ever, “One.”

As each dancer joins the group, it is suddenly difficult to distinguish one from the other. Each character who was an individual to the audience is now an anonymous member of an ensemble.

DFHS Cast of “A Chorus Line” includes:

• Bailey McGillian as Bebe
• Janine Rodriguez as Bobbi
• Ella Rosenkranz as Cassie
• Beth Feldberg as Connie
• Isabelle Knezevic as Diana
• Sophia Harris as Judy
• Elena Brown as Kristine
• Samantha Coppola as Lauren
• Chloe Cottineau as Maggie
• Solimar Thurn as Sheila
• Beckett Morris as Val
• Nathan Flaks as Al
• Chris Gismondi as Greg
• Nikolas Greenwald as Mark
• Collin Wisniewski as Mike
• William Brosnahan as Paul
• Jikku Samuel as Richie
• Hunter Bock as Zach
• Jaime Rockafellow as Donna
• Yukali Okkotsu as Vicki

Production Team:

• Director/Producer - Georgia DeFalco
• Music Director - Cory Conley 
• Choreographer - Amanda Newhouse
• Technical Director - Dara Goodman
• Student Director - Sarah Azizo  

Stage Crew:

• Bridget Guice
• Paige Monte
• Victoria Maggi
• Emily Richardson
• Dorrie Sacks

Lights & Sound “Rat Pack”:

• T’sha Gregory- Director
• Ryan Mitchell
• Philip Monteiro
• Vincent Laino
• Ray Flaks

Orchestra Pit Director: Anthony Speziale