Working in the theatre proves that it really is a “small world.”
On opening night of our current presentation of A Chorus Line, I was talking to two of our long term employees–Nelson and Betty D’Aloia. Nelson is our House carpenter at the Victoria Theatre, and his charming wife Betty serves as our head of wardrobe, also at the Victoria. Now it is no secret that Nelson is 85 years old, still works every show at the Vic, and is a legend in local theatre circles. I asked Nelson and Betty if they had seen the show before. They said that last night was the first time that Nelson had seen A Chorus Line. But it wasn’t that he didn’t know the show, far from it.
They went on to tell me they had both toured with the first National Tour of A Chorus Line in 1976. They travelled the country for a year and half, but because Nelson had been backstage, he had never seen the show! Betty had a chance to see it at some point on the tour and was looking forward to seeing it again. They said that the company in the ‘70s on that road tour was young and inexperienced, but several of them had gone on to have great careers –one of the performers being Bebe Neuwirth of TV fame and currently starring on Broadway in The Addams Family, a show Victoria Theatre Association is an active investor in through Elephant Eye Theatricals.
In theatre it’s always a small world.
-Ken
