A Chorus Line No. 34 - Mayme Paul

Mayme Paul as Val. Photo by Martha Swope, 1978

“I had auditioned for ACL a few times and gotten ‘typed out’ so when friends were trying to convince me to go to the audition, I kept saying it was a waste of time. Well, thank God they prevailed because out of 1000 girls, they cast 3 of us. I originally was a swing for Val, Judy and Kristine in the National Tour. One of my favorite memories was sitting onstage listening to Gay Marshall sing 'What I Did for Love,' with tears rolling down my face. 

“When Michael came to San Diego to get us ready for LA, he had us run the opening and then fired someone on the spot. He had us do it again then commented that that was the competitive fire and intensity he was looking for in the opening number. (Of course, we were all petrified). I was very fortunate to get to perform in the record breaking performance for the longest running Broadway show. I thought Michael's staging for that Gala proved what a creative genius he was.”

(left) in the dressing room as Val

(right) Kerry Casserly who played Kristine.