Anyone
who knows me knows I LOVE "A Chorus Line" and that I keep a diary.
Following are some notes from that diary when I spent a week in New
York City going to theatre, looking forward to seeing "A Chorus Line"
becoming the longest running musical, and not knowing I would be in the
Shubert Theatre at that performance--though it was a dress rehearsal it was a full out performance before a full house and I claim that was the performance that made it history. :O)

Bill, who framed the ACL poster above on the right for me, and I left Fort Lauderdale for New York city on Tuesday, September 27. (I am cutting out all of
the personal stuff between us in the diary as we were tying up, sort
of, the end of our relationship and even though it added a few sour
notes it didn't take away from the wonder of the week.

First
getting the 'facts' out of the way: we arrived on September 27 and left
on Sunday October 2. Between airfare, hotel, theatre tickets, food and
other expenses the whole trip cost me $1,342.68--remember this was back
in 1983 when theatre tickets cost between $34.50 and $50 as compared to
over $100 per ticket today.

Chuck and
Tommie came in from Memphis later that day and Bob K, who was staying
with Richard and Buzz in New Jersey, came in the next day.

That evening we went to see "Torch Song Trilogy"--Harvey Fierstein was no longer in it and Jonathan Hadary had taken over his role--here are some notes from my diary--LOVED
IT--cried a lot--laughed a lot--felt Arnold's pain and hurt--his
breakup with Ed--certainly identified with that--his interplay with his
mother--cheered his standing up for himself at the end--we came out of
the theatre to be met by Sue picking us up in a chauffeured limousine
and going to the Stage Delicatessen for sandwiches and after taking us
to One Fifth Avenue where she was the head bookkeeper--then it was off
to the Boys Bar which Sue's friend Richard owns--afterwards the limo
took us back to the hotel--I took a walk around Times Square--it was
seedier and sleazier than I had remembered--this was way before it
became Disneyfied

On Wednesday afternoon Chuck and I went to see "Dreamgirls"--Buddy
Vest, a friend of Bob's, had a role in it--little did I know that since
he had played Zach in "A Chorus Line" on tour he was going to be in the
ACL celebration and would be responsible for me and Bob getting tickets to see it--I thought "Dreamgirls"
had impressive scenery, costumes, staging, a good score and "And I Am
Telling You That I'm Not Going" a fantastic first act closing song to
soon be over shadowed by another first act closing number.

Bob
K. came in that afternoon and he, Bill and I went to see "A Chorus
Line" that evening. We went to Chinatown for dinner after with Buzz, Ed
and John from St. Louis. Bob told me that Buddy Vest gave him two
tickets for the "A Chorus Line" dress rehearsal the next day--don't
know if I will get any sleep tonight!

COMING--PART 2--THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1983--THE SHOW OF ALL SHOWS