Guest Blogger: Adam Lendermon

For my last interview I chose both a local and one of our beautiful cut dancers (Vickie Vickers). She is a transplant to South Florida from NYC. I look forward to seeing her every night onstage, because she looks fantastic in her costume. Enjoy.

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…

This week I've chosen to introduce you to Michael Callahan, who shares his namesake with the character he plays. He is one of the younger guys on the line, but he is a consummate professional and delivers every night. Enjoy!

After an invited dress rehearsal and three previews, opening night is finally upon us. Our bodies are all thankful that rehearsal has slowed (we are only called 2-5 today) and I am thoroughly enjoying my morning off as I sit here in my bed with my laptop. The sun is shining through my window and I just hummed a tune to a little blue bird that flew in and landed on my finger. Pardon me one moment while I wash the bird flu off my hands...

"I want you to tell me your name, real name if it's different. And I'd also like to know where you were born…"

It's the little things that keep you going during tech. Jordan Fife Hunt (Paul) just offered me some gingerbread pita chips. I'll take what I can get (namely, sugar). We're three and a half hours into our first 10 out of 12. Thus far, there have been no stressful outbursts, costume disasters, short fuses, or small animals harmed. I'm gunning for a drama free tech process. We did, however, get off to a soggy and cacophonous start.

For my second interview I've chosen our beautiful Diana Morales. This girl is a gem. She brings such a stunning simplicity to the role and a vocal ease that is bound to melt the audience's heart every night. I am honored to be working with such a talented artist and genuinely fantastic human being.

Tomorrow we will finish staging the finale and the show will be completely choreographed. We have covered a gargantuan amount of choreography and staging over the past two weeks. There are several newbies on our line and they have been working tirelessly to get the material in their bodies. I know they are a bundle of fried nerve endings and shorting synapses at this point. Which seam am I on in this section? What number do I travel to on this step? What comes after the "Smile and Sing" chorus? On what count do we leave the line to go into the Connie clump? (ears smoke and heads explodes, leaving a pile of burnt spandex and the distinct odor of tiger balm). We've also reached the point of outgrowing the studio we are rehearsing in. Because the dimensions of the stage have been fudged a bit to fit into a smaller space, it's not uncommon to see actors dancing into walls, tripping over dance bags, or careening into each other trying to squeeze themselves onto the line. We're all very much looking forward to a little breathing room when we move to the stage next week. Think of it as the moment when you unbutton your pants after Thanksgiving dinner.

I wanted to take the time to introduce a few of my castmates during my blogging stint, so I've put together a few questions that will hopefully give you some insight into who they are and their connection to the show. Who better to begin with than Cassie? I have had the great pleasure of working with this beautiful and talented soul on the show previously. It is an immense comfort knowing that she is standing next to me on the line again. She is family.

A Chorus Line (or #discopartyrealness)