Connie Danese
“A setback is a set-up for a comeback.” A character in Bring It On facetiously attributes this popular self-help quote to Yoda (the fictional character in Star Wars). But an actual and equally relevant Yoda quote is: “Younglings, younglings gather ‘round”. And gather they did, from the outrageously young cast to the youthful, hip audience attending the show on opening night at the Ahmanson. Was anyone not checking a cell phone or texting? Yes, that would be me.
Anticipating a rainy evening, the press and celebrity arrivals waited under a white tent while photographers snapped away. Sexy dancer Kym Johnson, who recently partnered with David Arquette on Dancing With the Stars said, “I’m really excited to see what they’ve done”. With proud mom by his side, baby-faced cutie Sterling Beaumon (young Ben on Lost) said, “I love theater. The stakes are so much higher because it’s really hit or miss. With film and TV there are so many takes but on stage you get one shot and if you mess up, you mess up.”
Actor Leslie David Baker and date Phyllis
Leslie David Baker (Stanley on The Office) was seeing the show a second time. “I’m here because Phyllis (his date) met the producers of the show…they are all from St. Louis…and she said I should come to support them. I saw the previews, and I’ve been told they have since done some great things, so I’m dying to see it again. What they are going to do on that stage tonight defies gravity. You will be amazed.”
Eliza Dushku (co-star in the 2000 film version) removed her nice warm coat to reveal a slinky, hot green dress for photographers. Waiting nearby was former Laker star Rick Fox. “I love the theater. My girlfriend (Dushku) and I came to cheer and support the musical version. For her, it’s also out of curiosity to see it on stage after having filmed it 11 years ago.” No one could interview Fox without asking his thoughts about the current basketball lockout. He laughed, “Well, my thoughts shift daily but one constant thought is the hope it gets resolved in enough time for us to have a season. It reminds me of 1999 when we had a similar lockout and got about a 50 game season in. I wish them well so everyone can get back to work.”
Athlete Rick Fox, Composer/Lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and actress Eliza Dushku
A fierce competitor, Fox spoke about why audiences get so emotional watching this show. “Investment at that stage of our lives is something we can all relate to. Not everyone goes to college, but everyone goes to high school and it’s an emotional time. We make our greatest friends and have our greatest changes. That is what people connect to; whether you’re an athlete or a cheerleader, you are affected by the shift in your life.” At that point Dushku returned to her warm coat and gorgeous boyfriend.
We made our way inside the theater. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) was seated directly in front of me and has the most beautiful, long, shiny hair. At intermission I tried to get a short interview, but Steinfeld was running to catch up with her mom who sat a few rows behind us. Too bad! Now I’ll never know — Pantene or Prell? Ashley Fink and Max Adler, two stars from Glee, were seated to my left. If you check Twitter you can read their great comments about the evening. Made from a cell phone?
Actor Max Adler
Adler was happy to “chat”. “I loved Avenue Q and In The Heights. [Some of] the writers are the same so I really wanted to see this. I’m a big fan of Lin’s (Manuel Miranda) work. I think he’s amazing and inspiring. I wanted to compare this to the movie and I actually like it better. I thought the musical might take a more mature approach than I would have liked, but it’s still relatable and I had no problem connecting. The subject matter: loyalty, friendship and self-esteem are universal. We’re all connected and want the same things for ourselves and for our families. You put that into art and it makes people feel we’re all united. Look around, you see a thousand people here and we’re all sharing the same laughter, the same claps. People who never met are brought together and bonded because of this.”
While Adler is too young to have seen A Chorus Line on Broadway, “I sang songs from it when I was in high school. I do think it’s similar in that there’s a drive, discipline and determination. Actually, I think it’s the cuts. Cheerleaders are known for having tryouts and cuts. Everyone wants to make it. Everyone is afraid of rejection and being cut; trying to follow your dreams and make it happen no matter what you look like.”
After cheering the cast with a standing ovation, we made our way to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion lobby and upstairs to a fantastic party catered by Patina. A DJ was spinning out great music (terribly loud but thankfully good), where a dance floor was set up. We saw one couple doing what might be called dancing — if you lived in Nebraska. After watching that amazing cast of dancers, apparently most guests thought it best to walk across the dance floor and enjoy the short ribs, salmon, asparagus, braised vegetables, mashed potatoes, yummy desert selections and drinks from bar carts placed strategically throughout the room. No standing on long lines waiting for that Vodka Collins.
Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) raved, “All I can tell you is my blood pressure was rushing and it was very exciting to watch. It made me very nervous. I mean they were going up very high in the air. This show has such great music. That’s what I thought was so infectious. It was the driving force behind the movement and dance. Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel wrote amazing music for the show. My foot was tapping the entire time.”
Speaking of amazing music, a few feet away I spotted composer Jason Robert Brown (1999 Tony for Parade) and stopped him cold when I told him I once drove all the way out to Covina to watch him perform an evening of his music accompanied by singer Shoshana Bean. “You did?” I did. He laughed and I got my interview. “The great thing is there are two different voices in this piece. There is Tom Kitt’s voice, which is very specific, contemporary and character-driven. Then you have Lin-Manuel’s, which is very street and urban but theatrically smart. These are amazingly intelligent theater writers with great instincts for what a musical theater piece can be. It keeps exploding in different fascinating ways.”
Has the Broadway composer’s “voice” changed over the years? Brown explained, “Well it should be different from West Side Story. That was 53 years ago. What these guys are doing is taking contemporary sounds, and neither of them is 15; they’re in their 30s, so they are both writing from the kind of music they grew up with and that’s what makes it resonate. Whether it is Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim or Stephen Schwartz, music reflects the soul of the writer and who they are. When that shows up on stage, it is as pure musical theater to me as Sweeney Todd.”
Cast member Taylor Louderman, Director/Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, cast member Ryann Redmond and cast member Adrienne Warren
I walked over to hug entertainment attorney extraordinaire Mark Sendroff (the man’s client list reads like who’s who in show business), as he is congratulating client and Bring It On director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. I learned about some incredibly recent changes to the show. “Two or three days ago we had 20 pages of line changes. We’ve been really aggressive about finding and streamlining it. We wanted to be careful and not have too much of a good thing, so we trimmed it.” He smiled, “We also put in a new number on Tuesday.” To my surprise, the new number was the finale. “We wanted to make even more changes and just ran out of time. So this is the version of the show for now, and we’re very, very proud of it. We’re thrilled this is going across the country, and when we get the chance we will implement new moments whether that’s one or six months from now.”
Blankenbuehler described the difference between audiences in Atlanta where it first debuted and those in Los Angeles. “I think this is a subscription-based audience, so it’s a little harder to win them over. There was a more widespread audience in Atlanta but at the Ahmanson every night it changes. Sometimes there is a much younger audience but everyone is always enjoying it. They just scream at different things.”
Recalling the impact A Chorus Line had on people who never stood on one, Blankenbuehler revealed, “It changed my life. I grew up listening to it. I got my Equity card doing A Chorus Line. As a choreographer it was a character study for me; all about integrating movement and plot that never stopped. Doing Bring It On and In The Heights (as choreographer), but especially Bring It On, I felt it was a story ballet. Whether it’s cheerleading or hip hop, the plot always comes forward through movement because that’s what I know best.”
Los Angeles is the launching point for a 10-city tour before Bring It On arrives on Broadway. “This is my first time directing, so the producers have been very generous to me about doing the show in a way that made me feel supported and not pressured or thrown into the cauldron in NY. Also, so many people have a relationship with cheerleading. You wanted to be the cheerleader, you wanted to date the cheerleader, you hated the cheerleader, you were envious of the cheerleader…there is something about it that will reach everyone across the country, and I think the producers wanted to put the property out there to get a word of mouth happening.”
Cast member Ryann Redmond in tears after meeting actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson
As we were leaving, Ryann Redmond (a young lady who nearly walked off with the show in her role as the ugly misfit) arrived looking like Cinderella after the Fairy Godmother dressed her for the ball. Beaming with the same exuberance displayed on stage, newcomer Redmond spoke through her infectious ear-to-ear grin. “Its been so cool to see my part develop into what I want her to be. She’s just the nerdiest, perkiest girl and she’s warm-hearted and means so well. I hope that shines through.”
Redmond’s program bio is just one long string of thank yous to everyone from Mom to “Grammy”. Is this the biggest thing she’s done so far? Between happy giggles, “Yes. Oh, yes. I’m ironically from Atlanta but I live in New York. I was performing at a benefit concert in New York, and someone saw it and suggested me for the show. I’m only 22 and got this right out of school. I haven’t even finished school yet. It’s been amazing; it’s a dream come true. And, it’s not fair that I’m this young and getting to do this. It’s unreal.” Her “unreal” evening continued as Redmond made her way up the stairs to the party and nearly cried when she ran into Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family. Nerdy, perky and oh so refreshing!
Cheering continues at the Ahmanson through December 10.
CHAT CITE: “If you’re gonna be a bitch, you damn well better be honest about it. It’s called ethics.”
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