Drew Lachey to Star in A Chorus Line at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will open its newly built Rouse Theatre with a re-imagined production of A Chorus Line, starring Cincinnati-native and 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey as Zach. Performances are set to begin March 11 ahead of a March 16 opening.

The cast will additionally feature Rei Akazawa-Smith (Lois Dilettante), Courtney Arango (Diana Morales), Evan Autio (Larry), Maria Briggs (Maggie Winslow), Claire Camp (Judy), Erin Chupinsky (Sheila Bryant), Maurice Dawkins (Mike Costa), Nicolas de la Vega (Butch Barton), Jonathan Duvelson (Richie Walters), Derek Ege (Mark Anthony), Joseph Fierberg (Gregory Gardener), Shiloh Goodin (Cassie Ferguson), Francesca Granell (Bebe Benzenheimer), Diego Guevara (Paul San Marco), Musa Hitomi (Connie Wong), Cameron Holzman (Don Kerr), Jalen Michael Jones (Frank), Taylor Lane (Tricia), Jacob Major (Al Deluca), Zoë Maloney (Vicki Vickers), Matthew Marvin (Roy), Alexa Racioppi (Val Clark), Matthew Ranaudo (Bobby Mills), Antonia Raye (Kristine Urich), and Sammy Schechter(Tom Tucker). Understudies are Jenna Bienvenue, Haley Haskin, and Christopher Wells.

In A Chorus Line, 17 dancers compete for a role in a new Broadway musical. They must perfect vigorous dance combinations and share personal stories about their lives in the hopes of being cast. Through heartfelt monologues and musical numbers, they reveal their own remarkable journeys to the stage.

The Cincinnati production is directed by Blake Robison with choreography by Alex Sanchez. They add a contemporary vantage point to the classic musical, considering how dancers audition today and how they dance differently now than they did in 1975. The creative team also includes Andrew Smithson (music director/conductor/orchestral arranger), Tim Mackabee (set designer), Kathleen Geldard (costume designer), Jaymi Lee Smith (lighting designer), David Bullard (sound designer), and Steve Goers (associate conductor/associate music director).

Conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line features a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, with a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. The musical opened at the Public Theater in 1975, before transferring to Broadway and earning nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score.