Who am I anyway? Am I my resume?

"That is a picture of a person I don't know."

Yep. Gettin' all tuned up for my evening at the theatre tonight to see A Chorus Line. It's still in previews - premieres next week, I think - which is my favorite time to see a Broadway show. You're pretty much guaranteed that the whole first-string cast will be present and accounted for, especially the closer it gets to opening night. I saw The Producers and Spamalot in previews as well - original casts in tact (plus a surprise appearance by Mel Brooks in The Producers' "Springtime for Hitler" number, yes m'am).

Of course, A Chorus Line is an ensemble thing so no humongous stars, though Charlotte "always-a-bridesmaid-never-a-bride" d'Amboise plays Cassie (originally played by Donna McKechnie) and she finally gets her chance to really shine. I hope.

I saw A Chorus Line for the first time at the Drury Lane Theatre/London in the fall of 1976 - so, thirty (THIRTY!!!) years ago almost on the dot. Ye gods! And I saw it a couple more times in the 1970s-80s in Atlanta.

My brother David - completely hetero and not theatrical in the least - loved this show. I remember Kate's dad and I went to see ACL at the Fox Theatre/Atlanta with David and whoever his main squeeze was at the time. He loved the whole thing. (Yes, my moped-ridin', car-fixer-upper, leather-jacket wearing brother loved A Chorus Line. Go figure.)

"What does he want from me? What should I try to be? So many faces all around, and here we go."

I think the show really resonated with me because of what it says about work and the need to work at something for which you're willing to sacrifice. Every single time I've sent out a resume over the last thirty years, the line "Who am I anyway? Am I my resume?" runs through my brain. I guarantee I was singing it to myself when I came to New York in March for that 2-hour, 5-person interview.

"I need this job. Oh, God, I need this show."

And, this time, I got the "show."

Check back tomorrow for my personal review of the revival of A Chorus Line. Reporting live (not really) from Row N, Seat 2 (inside aisle, baby - eat your heart out).