A Chorus Line No. 4 - Ron Kuhlman
- Lauryn Johnson
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
"Ron Kuhlman, tall and handsome, first auditioned for Michael Bennett as a replacement for the Broadway company of Follies. He attempted a double pirouette in stocking feet on a raked stage and fell directly on his ass in front of the choreographer. 'I just picked myself up and went out the door without even listening for my number.' But this time he read well from a long monologue based on the life of Andy Bew, with whom he shared all-American good looks and a jock dancing style. 'I was excited because of the people involved. My last audition---there had been several—was a Friday and I was about to go away on this bike hike for a couple of weeks. I wanted to know right then what they were thinking, so I said, 'If you're not going to use me, you can tell me now, because that way I can leave.' And they said, 'I think you better stick around till Monday.'"
--What They Did for Love by Denny Martin Flinn
"For less-experienced dancers, not hired for their technique, this could be intimidating. Ron Kuhlman found it especially difficult. 'We came back for the second workshop—thats when Michael and Bob had the beginning of the opening number-and they showed it to us. The double pirouette and the jump and all, and it was 'Oh, my God! We got up there and I was so nervous l couldn't even do a single pirouette, and that was in a group. Then Michael made me stand out in front of everybody and do a pirouette. Well, I was totally mortified. I could hardly stand up, let alone turn on one foot. A lot of times people would pick up the combinations just like that, and hours after everybody had it Id be out there trying to learn the thing, going over the steps. It was terror, believe me. I had to work real hard to get up to their level of dancing.'"
--The Longest Line by Gary Stevens and Alan George
Photos by Martha Swope, 1975.
Comments