A Chorus Line Page #6

I need a job.

Goddamnit! It's my turn to audition,

like everybody else!

No. No, you shouldn't have come.

And if you'd called me,

I would've saved you the trouble.

This is for chorus,

it's not for you.

But this is the only place

there is for me!

Zach, I'm a gypsy.

I never had an apartment in my life

that wasn't a sublet.

All I know how to do

is to point my toes and leap.

I, oh, Zach...

I'm a dancer.

That's who I am.

What I do.

I,

I am a dancer.

Give me the steps,

I'll come through.

Give me somebody to dance for.

Give me somebody to show.

Let me wake up

in the morning to find

I have somewhere exciting to go.

Christ, Cassie,

how can I put you in a line?

You don't fit.

You're too goddamned good!

You bet I am! And I'm so good

I can dance any way you want me to.

Let me dance for you,

let me try.

Let me dance for you.

We made a lot of music dancing,

you and I.

-"We"? Are you talking about us?

-No, Zach.

I'm talking about a job.

I haven't worked in over a year.

Please,

give me an answer.

Give me a place

to begin.

I,

I am a dancer.

I have come home!

Let me in.

Give me somebody to dance with.

Give me somebody to be.

Let me wake up

feeling terribly proud

that the girl in the mirror

is me.

Let me dance for you,

let me try.

Let me dance for you.

We made a lot of music dancing,

you and I.

Let me dance for you,

let me try.

Let me dance for you.

We made a lot of music dancing,

you and--

Cassie!

All right.

Go down with the others

and learn the lyrics.

We'll see.

Hello?

Hello?

Yes, Paul?

I just wanted to ask,

If I can't talk

about myself, I'm out?

I think you're

a hell of a dancer, Paul.

I can't do it.

I wish I could,

but I just can't.

Let me ask you something.

I'm curious.

If you were gonna change your name,

why did you go from

Puerto Rican to Italian?

People always used to say

I don't look Puerto Rican.

So you figured you look Italian?

No.

I just wanted to be somebody new.

So I became Paul San Marco.

Why would you want to be

somebody new?

I don't know.

I'm not too proud of myself,

I guess.

Why did you decide

to become a dancer?

My father loves movies.

When I was a kid, he used to

take us all the time to 42nd St.

The ones I loved were the musicals.

How old were you?

Ten or eleven.

with all those crazies?

He didn't know that.

It was cheap and--

Anyway,

because of my eyes--

I wear contacts now,

I'd have to move down front

by myself, so I could see.

And all these strange men

would come and sit beside me,

and play with me, you know?

-Look, Paul, if this is too rough, uh--

-No. I mean, I knew I was gay.

In school, they'd whistle at me

in the halls and everything.

But what really bothered me was

I didn't know how to be a man.

What was your first job as a dancer?

At the Jewel Box Revue.

A drag show. I was fifteen.

I went to audition, but

they weren't interested in my dancing.

They said, "Show us your legs",

they took me to a filthy rat hole.

They shaved my legs,

and put a pair of nylon stockings

on me, and high heels.

There I was, in show business.

The a**hole

of show business, but a job.

-What did you tell your parents?

-That I was a dancer in a show.

Not what kind, of course.

They couldn't stop bragging.

Go on, Paul.

The show was going to Chicago.

My parents wanted to bring my suitcase,

down to the theatre, after the show,

to say goodbye and--

I don't know why, I said okay.

We were doing this Oriental number,

I was wearing an Oriental dress

and this enormous headdress,

with gold balls hanging all over it.

I was going down the steps,

for the finale, when I saw my parents.

They got there too early.

I freaked out, didn't know what to do.

I ran past them, as quick as I could,

hoping they wouldn't recognize me.

But the minute I passed,

I heard my mother say...

"Oh, my God."

I died!

After the show, I took off

my make-up, put on my clothes,

not knowing if they'd be

downstairs or what.

But there they were, standing

in the middle of all these freaks.

You should've seen my parents.

They didn't know where to look.

My mother had the guts

to look me in the eyes.

I could tell she'd been crying.

"Make sure you eat good," she said.

Bu then my father

couldn't even look at me.

"Take care of yourself," he said.

And they started out.

But then my father turned around

and went over to the producer.

"Take care of my son," he said.

That was the first time

he ever called me that.

Come on.

Zach?

Are you okay?

Go grab a hat.

Let's go, Larry. Bring them in.

Okay, everybody!

We're back up on stage! Let's go!

every move that she makes

We can, we can.

One smile and suddenly nobody

Take one that fits.

Don't keep him waiting.

All right.

Let's go with the combination that

goes with the lyrics you just learned.

Everybody on the stage

and spread out.

-Hit the rail lights, please.

-Is this where he picks the eight?

This is important.

I want to see unison dancing.

Every head, arm, body angle,

exactly the same.

I don't want anybody

to pull my focus.

Okay, Larry.

Okay, let's review it.

Starting position is upstage.

Just to remind you.

Chin up, hat down.

Pop the right heel.

Reverse directions.

Five, six, seven, eight!

One

singular sensation

every little step she takes.

Okay, hold it. Hold it.

You with us? Okay.

On "singular sensation",

make sure your arm goes

all the way across your face

and back to shoulder.

Three, four!

singular sensation

every little step she takes.

One

thrilling combination

every move that she makes.

Six, seven, eight.

One smile and suddenly, nobody

else will do.

You know you'll

never be lonely with

you know who.

One

Okay, hold it!. Let's go on,

away from the mirrors.

-Excuse me.

-Yeah.

After the grapevine,

when do we pop the chin?

-You pop the chin on two.

-And when does the hat go up?

Hat goes up on five.

One, two, three, four, five.

Okay, listen up!

Larry's got the style I'm looking for.

Very thirties. Keep your eye on Larry.

Let's continue now from

"moment in her presence".

And,

five, six, seven, eight!

One

moment in her presence

and you can forget the rest,

for the girl is second best

to none,

son.

Ooh! Sigh!

Give her your attention.

Do... I...

really have to mention

she's the

One?

Okay, let me see you

in groups of four.

This time I want to hear

the lyrics in each group.

And,

five, six, seven, eight.

One

singular sensation

One, turn, up, down.

every little step she takes.

One, turn, up, down.

Spotlight, out, in,

step back, step back

every move that she makes.

Five, six, seven, eight.

One smile and suddenly, nobody

else will do.

Step to front, sharp, hat.

One, two, three, four, turn around.

you know who.

One

moment in her presence

and you can forget the rest,

for the girl is second best

to none

Ooh! Sigh!

Give her your attention.

Do... I...

really have to mention

she's the

One?

Okay, girls, just the girls,

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