A Chorus Line No. 17 - Pamela Blair

Photo by Martha Swope, 1975

"Pamela Blair's connection with A Chorus Line came as the result of a happy accident. 'I ran into Michael on the street one day and he told me he was having some dancers up to his apartment and we were going to talk, and I agreed.'"

"Blair eventually was given a role based on the life of dancer Mitzi Hamilton, who had been at the tape session but had not been chosen for the workshop. But 'I didn't have a part right away,' she said. 'I did have one monologue at one point. I told about my go-go days a little bit and the incident where my life was threatened. It was sad and Michael said he liked it very much but he was going to make me a funnier character. He thought it was too heavy. I think that's why I got the part. I had this filthy mouth and a face like an angel. I loved to shock people, that was my trip. I can't really remember which part of the role was Mitzi Hamilton's and which was mine. I know the first line was mine and the part about wanting to be a Rockette and getting on the bus in my little white outfit.'"

"Another of the show's notable songs made its appearance at this time. Blair remembers the first time she heard 'Tits and Ass,' whose title (but not lyric) later was changed to the more demure 'Dance 10, Looks 3.' She said, 'The whole company was there. Marvin was singing very badly, honking away. Ed Kleban was sitting there looking jolly and sweet, which he was, a little Buddha. I listened and I thought, 'Oh God-what an awful number!' It was so brash and bold. You have to understand how I am inside: I'm still upset that in kindergarten on Halloween, Mom dressed me as a witch. I thought I was a princess. That's me in a nutshell. 'Tits and Ass' was not something a princess would sing. I remember thinking that they strung Lenny Bruce up for this; here I am in pigtails and it's okay. The response, the laughs, were exhilarating. But it used to bother me, the content of the number. People thought I had had it done (silicone breast and buttock implants). Mine are all right but nothing major. 'Look at these,' I'd tell people, I deserve a partial refund!'"

--On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line by Robert Viagas, Baayork Lee, and Thommie Walsh

Footage: July 12, 1975 during the off-Broadway run at The Public Theater. Filmed for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive for the New York Public Library.

"With less than two weeks to go before opening, Michael pointed out to Marvin Hamlisch and Ed Kleban that the song 'Tits and Ass' wasn't getting nearly the laughs it ought to, and if nothing happened soon, he would cut it and ask for another one. Hamlisch and Kleban, who had been entering the theater through the stage door, decided to enter with the audience for the next performance, in the hope that this would give them a new perspective on the problem. They read the program for the first time and noticed that by calling the number 'Tits and Ass' they gave away the principal joke in advance. The program was changed. Ever since, the song has been called 'Dance: Ten; Looks: Three'—and the audience laughs aloud when it hears the lyrics."

--What They Did For Love by Denny Martin Flinn