Interview: Jim Johnson of A CHORUS LINE at Susquehanna Stage Company

Jim doesn't remember a time when he wasn't interested in theatre. As a kid, Jim entertained audiences with his magic and ventriloquism shows and began staging productions in 4th grade. Cinderella and Dr. Seuss stories were his earliest memories. He attended the Pennsylvania Governors School of the Arts in high school and went on to study theatre and dance at Penn State University, earning his Master's degree. As a dancer, Jim performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and with Hersheypark Entertainment.Locally and recently Jim has performed with Actor's Co. of Pennsylvania, The Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, Ephrata Performing Arts Center and Civic Theatre in Allentown before founding the Susquehanna Stage Co. in 2008. His favorite acting roles include Wilbur in "Hairspray" (Dutch Apple) and John Dickinson in"1776" (EPAC). His directorial favorites include "Children of Eden", "That Championship Season", "Spring Awakening" and last season's regional premier of "All is Calm".

Heading into their 10th season, the Susquehanna Stage Co. has found its artistic niche in Historic Marietta PA and recently purchased the Historic Marietta Theatre as its future home. The 2018 season details will be released soon, but includes three musicals and three plays, plus the annual Children's Theatre Workshop production.

BWW: Susquehanna Stage Company has decided to produce a full season of Pulitzer Prize Winning shows such as "Next to Normal" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". What do you think makes "A Chorus Line" worthy of this prestigious honor?

JJ: When A CHORUS LINE premiered in 1975, Broadway was floundering and the Times Square area in NYC was seedy, scary, and unwelcoming. Unemployment was high and the country was in a deep depression. ACL spoke to those needs, helped to revitalize the Broadway scene and hit a genuine nerve with so many actors and artists out of work. ACL told THEIR story in words and song that were universally understood by both performers and audiences alike.

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is given to those plays/musicals which reflect, mirror and explain America's zeitgeist. ACL and Michael Bennett's genius creation and staging was unlike anything that came before it. Drawn from real stories from real Broadway dancers, ACL broke barriers and expressed painful past hurts, aspirations of working class and provided hope for the chance to get a job.

BWW: To what degree did your audition process mirror the events of the show?

JJ: Our attempt from the outset was to completely restore and restage ACL as Michael Bennett intended. Casting then required us to find specific types to fill the iconic roles. Finding diverse actors who could sing, dance and act (the triple-threat) proved difficult and challenging. Many excellent performers who did not fit the "look" of the existing character descriptions were eliminated as we tried to cast according to the original perceptions and requirements. I am quite happy with the 19 performers we found, who indeed are all triple-threats and possess the same look, style and attitude of the original cast.

BWW: "A Chorus Line" is truly one of those productions that needs performers who are "triple-threats"-they can sing, act, and dance. How does a community theater find and hone the type of talented required to do this show justice?

JJ: Our choreographer, Jessica Yahner, studied tapes, interviews and took master classes with original cast members to duplicate the original and intricate Michael Bennett choreography. We rehearsed twice a week at E-DANCE CENTER, so we could use dancer's mirrors, studio flooring and ample room to rehearse and clean the choreography.

We rehearsed five nights a week for 10 weeks in order to learn and perfect the staging. The company of performers were disciplined, dedicated and understood the enormity of the show and its unique place in musical-theatre history.

BWW: An extensive chunk of the dialogue and lyrics comes from authentic taped interviews with Broadway dancers. How does this fact influence your directing style or the way you want your actors to approach the script?

JJ: Every actor can find some part of themselves in each role. I encourage actors to find that unity, and build from there. Knowing the dialogue was from a real person who had "lived" this particular truth, we were supremely mindful of keeping our acting truthful and real. Books and interviews with those original storytellers helped immensely in understanding and portraying these dancers.

Over the 43 years since ACL premiered, much mythology and behind the scenes accounts are available to grasp and know who was who and why and how they did what they did.

BWW: What does "A Chorus Line" offer an audience member not intimately involved with show business?

JJ: Audiences not intimately involved in show business will marvel at the way Michael Bennett tells this story: through dance, through song, through incredibly real and honest dialogue. Audiences will relate to the passion these characters possess and their desire to simply "get a job" in the field they love. The metaphor of the "line" works because each of us has at some time "put ourselves on the line" for a job, for a relationship, for a lot of things.

I also believe that audiences will be amazed that our little community theatre has been so successful in presenting a polished, beautiful, and mature work of ART. Michael Bennett was the Lin-Manuel Miranda of his time, and this production of A CHORUS LINE is a loving, respectful tribute to his creative genius and his enormous theatrical gifts.

JJ: A Chorus Line opens at Susquehanna Stage Compnay Theater, in Marietta, PA on August 11. The show runs through the 20th. Ticket sales, directions, and more information can be found at the theater's website.