A Chorus Line No. 28 - Keith Bernado
- Lauryn Johnson
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
The final company on Broadway, 1990
I first saw “A Chorus Line” the summer after graduating from High School in 1983. I was heading to college to study drama, dance, and voice, so my Metro North train ride from New Haven, CT to Grand Central Station to see the show for the first time was an exercise in self-restraint; I felt so excited that I was headed to see a show about a vocation that was an essential part of me since my earliest memories that I had to contain myself. Needless to say, seeing “A Chorus Line”on that day was a life-confirming experience.
"I moved to New York City in late 1987 after obtaining my Equity Card doing wonderful Summer Stock productions at Bucks County Playhouse. I was fortunate to quickly get an agent and work regionally. Very soon after I moved to New York City, I got a call that a current cast member of the Broadway Company of A Chorus Line, a very talented, and very generous, Michael Gruber, with whom I previously worked, recommended me for the role of Don Kerr. I auditioned at the Shubert Theatre, jaw dropped, and by the next day, I was signing my very first Broadway contract.
"What made this experience extraordinary was that it was only weeks after I began performances that the closing notice for the show went up. Although surprised, there was no time to become saddened, as we became the most popular show in New York City, sold-out and extended and extended again. Cast members were appearing on Morning Shows, and the Phill Donahue Show, and fans of the show showered us with love, and reporters began showing up almost daily when the final notice was posted. And it was then that I realized that I had just been given the privilege of being part of theatre history. And it was thrilling. I lived in an apartment on 46th Street, and walking from my apartment to the stage door of the Shubert theater felt like a dream realized.
"Then came the day of the final performance. The original cast members came for a visit with us, and we had a fascinating discussion with them about the show’s origins, including some fun personal stories that I have treasured. The original Don Kerr, Ron Kuhlman, wrote me a gorgeous note that reads, 'From the first Don Kerr to the last, and all those in between…'. It felt like the two ends of a circle finally closing, like the famous white 'line' on the stage itself, had its two ends meet each other becoming its own circle. That night, we anxiously and excitedly held hands ready to the enter the stage for the very last time.
“'A five, six, seven, eight!' and we were almost blown back by the cheers and applause of the audience. It was so profoundly loving and loud that it almost wasn’t heard, but deeply felt almost at a cellular level. Theater is a living creation, a shared experience between cast and audience, and I’ve never felt anything like before or since. After the opening, in fact, when the cast first steps onto the line, with headshots covering our faces, the cheering audience continued for so long that those punctuated chords that were normally played, were played two or three times, or four times longer than we were used to. It was, quite literally, breathtaking. Like, I couldn’t breathe.
"We all received individual bows that night, too, our names being announced as we tipped our golden top hats, and were wrapped in a glorious ovation, knowing that cast and audience shared a historic and stunning experience together. And I remain so incredibly grateful to have been part of that magical closing year."
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