(I
am talking about the theatre production--not the atrocious movie
version that was/is one of the worst Broadway to Hollywood adaptations!)
In
the Spring of 1976 Johnny and I were sitting in our townhouse on Park
Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee watching the Tony Awards when for the
first time I heard Zach say, "Again, Step kick, kick, leap, kick,
touch...Again, pivot, step, walk, walk, walk... Right. Let's do the
whole combination, facing away from the mirror. From the top, A five,
six, seven, eight."
The music builds into full orchestration as the DANCERS face downstage and do the jazz combination with Zach in front. I WAS CAUGHT! The dancers, the music, seem to leap out at me from the television, hitting something inside of me.

Thirty-one
years ago I knew that this was a show I had to see and, though
estranged from my father, I knew he had the pull to get me tickets to a
show that was sold out and after this broadcast and all the awards it
won would certainly be THE show to see, so I called him.
Thanksgiving
weekend, that year, I was sitting in the third row of the mezzanine.
From the moment the houselights went down until 2 hours and 10 minutes
when they came up again I was mesmerized. I literally, couldn't get out
of my seat to leave the theatre because I was so drained. I had just
seen the perfect blend of music, lyrics, dancing, singing, acting,
lighting, etc., of any Broadway musical since I started going to
theatre in the 1940s. I laughed, cried, to this day I don't believe I
breathed during Cassie's 8 minute solo on the stage but then I don't
remember breathing during Paul's monologue just before that.

That
weekend I went back to see it two more times and after that became an
"ACL groupie--saw the touring companies in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale,
Atlanta, Memphis, St. Louis, Dallas, etc. I have seen EVERY production
(professional, regional, amateur,etc.) that has been presented in South
Florida the past 30 years. I've been back to NYC to see it 21 times
(Including the performance when it became the longest running show on
Broadway--THE most exciting time I EVER spent in a theatre.) And this
past February saw the touring revival twice.

As
a rule I would fly into a city and see performances Friday and Saturday
evenings plus Saturday and Sunday matinees. Once Bill and I drove up to
Memphis where we saw it in the open air amphitheatre on Mudd Island after having seen it in Fort Lauderdale the week before  3 times and while he went on to Kansas city I went on to Carbondale where I picked
up Dr.K and we went on to St. Louis where we stayed at Ed Hall's place.
Four years earlier Bob, Doug Cotner and I had made the same trip and had stayed at the Holiday Inn where the cast of ACL was staying and we
met them all in the bar! We saw the show 5 times at the Opera House.

There
was the time Chuck, Tommie, Charles Cagle from Chattanooga and I went
to Dallas to see A Chorus Line and going to Atlanta and seeing it three
times with Chuck, Tommie, Nina and Jean. There was the trip to New York
in 1984 and not only did I see A Chorus Line but on the spur of the
moment got tickets for "Cats" at the Winter Garden and followed that by
seeing "My One and Only" plus "42nd St." between more showings of A
Chorus Line with Dr. K, Buzz, Richard and Gino. Also, that week, saw
"Tap Dance Kid" and "Soldier's Play".

In 1985 I saw Lily Tomlin's "In Search of Intelligent Life" and Jonathan Hadary in "As Is" not to forget Bernadette Peters in "Song and Dance" and saw A Chorus Line with Bob K., twice and then Kathy, Margie, Bob K., Buddy Vest  and I went to an evening performance of the show.  Don't want you to think
I spent ALL my time seeing A Chorus Line  as Buzz, Rich, 4 of their
friends and the rest of us went to St. Genaro's Feast down in Little Italy.

I made my last trip to New York in 1988--21 years ago--saw A Chorus Line with Andy and Eleanor plus a couple of times on my own--feeling it would be my last trip to NYC I went to Marchis, Stage Deli, took the train up to the Bronx--Pelham Parkway--once again the St. Genaro's Feast--met with George Chauncy,
Jr. who wrote a best seller about NYC  before Stonewall crediting me
for information I supplied to him for dinner plus I had dinner with
Robert Lee Chu who was in a play on Broadway. I said goodbye to NYC but not A Chorus Line.

Over the years I would see A Chorus Line in Miami Beach, Miami, Sunrise, Hollywood, as the show opening up the new Performing Arts Center and at the Ann White Theatre and at 3 different theatres in the Fort Lauderdale area.
The last time I saw it was this past February and now have seen it a total of 102 times. When
I saw it the 102nd time it was as if I was seeing it the first
time--once again I went through all the emotions--never seemed stale.
I've seen bad productions, directors cutting roles, singers and dancers
not up to par, etc.,--but it doesn't matter--it's the book, the music,
knowing each actor/dancer/singer is putting themselves 'on the line'
each performance.

NEXT PART 2--WHY, WHO AND HOW INCLUDING HOW ACL WAS THE CAUSE OF MY GOING BROKE BUT THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!