BWW Blog: Adam Lendermon of Maltz Jupiter's A CHORUS LINE - Costume Junction, What's Your Malfunction?

The other night during the final kick line in the finale of the show, I completely blew out the crotch of my costume. There I was (just inches from center stage) doing 24 successive battements in Rockette fashion with a giant hole down there. Did I mention that the vast majority of our patronage consists of senior citizens? I'm sure several jaws dropped open in disbelief. I suppose I should be at least slightly thankful that my nude dance belt blended somewhat with my costume. The joys of Live Theatre...

And then there was the time yesterday when I had a zipper malfunction during my quick change into the finale. The men's' finale costumes are built like jumpsuits. You step into the legs, put your arms through and zip up from crotch to collarbone. So when the zipper won't budge from the lower end, going onstage with a smile, hoping no one will notice, is not exactly an option. Well after the time I was supposed to be onstage, I finally beat the zipper into submission. My best option at that point was to wait in the wings until the choreography called for the entire cast to parade upstage where I could sneak on as seamlessly as possible. I have to give a shout out to my cast for doing a remarkable job of troubleshooting when I turned up missing onstage. They handled themselves like tried and true professionals.

My costume on the line is fabulous. All the pieces are real vintage. I wear brown polyester pants with a 70s flare at the bottom, a deep green wool turtleneck sweater, and a low cut "V" mustard sweater vest. My shoes are ballroom Cuban heels. Cinched in all the right places, the whole ensemble makes me feel pulled up and a little snobbish. It's a huge help for getting into character and I couldn't be more pleased with the finished product. Having said that, there is one thing I would like to point out. Wool and polyester are not breathable materials. Every night it's like Bikram dancing for two hours. It may sound miserable, but truth be told, it's actually very helpful. The show is structured so that we alternately stand for long periods and then have to dance. It can be pretty jarring to your system if your body gets too cold.

It's been a fantastic journey my 5th time with this show. We are playing to sold out houses every night and the audience response has been very humbling. I'm not sure if I could ever tire of doing A Chorus Line. Each production I am involved with seems to be informed by where I am in my own career as a dancer. I am constantly discovering new information about these characters and my relationship to them. My connection to the show seems to grow and evolve as I do. It's like an old friend you may not see for several years. But when you do finally reconnect, you know you can pick up right where you left off. Thanks for reading my blogs and going on this ride with me. Be sure to catch my last interview with a cast member later this week.