Donna McKechnie Music and the Mirror Chorus Line

[ShowBizKid95]

I've seen other Cassies, and only Donna McKechnie measures up. She's the best, through and through.

[BalletBabyBoy]

and the costume

[BalletBabyBoy]

Do you have anymore of this? I should have been in it but was out of town. I have the finale.

[mcoope15]

One of the most amazing voices ever!!!!

[quickmix21]

@lioneyes00 actually those aren't backup dancers those are all women who played Cassie at one point. This is celebration performance of the 1000th or something like that

[toad455]

@quickmix21

It's the record breaking performance when they surpassed Fiddler on the Roof(I believe) to become the longest running Broadway show(at that time).

[benjiboi91]

hehe its like a school of really red fish.

[lioneyes00]

Donna McKennie is Cassie because that character was based on her own life, the same with Bayoork Lee as Connie. When you have to interpret your own life you're putting passion into besides her already famous vocal and dancing skills. No, the original performance does NOT include backup dancers, probably they did this as a metaphor for she being dancing on front of the mirrors.

[brettarnett]

Were there always multiple women backing up cassie in the end of the song? If not when fdid it begin?

[BroadwayBret]

@brettarnett This is from the gala performance when "A Chorus Line" became the longest running musical on Broadway. Past Broadway Cassies came back to join the number, in addition to a number of members from other casts performing different portions of the show.

[sa65cn1]

A spectacular talent!!! She was the best. I saw her in this show.

[Wyzdm]

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

[Renthead014]

This is easily the greatest video from A Chorus Line that I've ever seen. They butchered this scene in the movie (and that's putting it lightly). Donna McKechnie is, in one word, brilliant. Brava!

[clairebear999]

So many spine tingles. There's just nobody like Donna.

[BW2TV]

Love this musical and love this performance

[jackmacdaddy]

Get rid of Wanda and the rest of those bitches! Donna RULES!

[boyslikegirlsthunder]

simply incredible

[beewhiz]

I went with Donna McKechnie to the Jay-z and Eminem concert tonight... she's a freakin' hoot. I love her!

[angelsolaris23]

Does anyone know how old she was when she gave this performance? By far one of the best I have seen in a long while

[incntjoy]

Please, can someone tell me if that is Anthony "Scooter" Teague as Zach speaking to Cassie?

[marthaschlamme]

it is indeed

[incntjoy]

@marthaschlamme Thank you so much! I met Tony on two different tours through Washington, D.C.

[incntjoy]

@marthaschlamme Thank you so much! I met Tony on two different tours through Washington, D.C.

[CherylClark7]

@marthaschlamme I'm sorry, this could be dear Tony. When did he pass on? He had come back to my dressing room at the Wilshire Theatre doing "ACL" one year before this Gala. Miss him. xo CC

[CherylClark7]

@incntjoy That was Eivind Harum as Zach- Tony "Scooter" Teague had passed on at this point- Eivind was the Broadway Zach once again at the time of this Gala.

[Puppies140]

She is Cassie....no one better... the end...

[TheSpencer1960]

she won a tony for this!

[thumbun]

Brilliant!!!!!

[GenuineRisk1]

An honor to view the Cassies. Thank you for gathering them together.

[WWEQAF]

I love the trumpet tonguing before the dance break and at the end, everything is just mind boggling, so beautiful

[angelsolaris23]

does anybody know where this was?

[bob11992y]

The Shubert Theatre West 44th NYC.

Chorus line played there for 15 years

[mpeindms]

@bob11992y -- ah yes, but about a year before that I was privileged to see "A Chorus Line" at the (Joseph Papp) Public Theatre downtown. Everyone in that audience knew that this was a special event.  And our Cassie was Donna McKechnie. Everything thereafter was just commercialized pap (no pun intended) intended to make it more pallitable to the masses. And they succeeded in doing that. Years later I saw the movie and was unhappy with what the original gem had changed to. Oh well, life!!

[angelsolaris23]

This woman is incredible!! A legend!! I would have loved to see her and Michael Bennett work together more.

[MissLizaMay]

she's so amazing. I remember when she was on Dark Shadows! lol, what an amazing career - and a fellow Detroit gal!

[clairebear999]

she is such a boss

[samatwin]

Donna McKechnie - you are the inspiration that kept me in front of the mirror and courage to do what it took to move out of the line... THANK YOU for your talent and for continuing to give and be the inspiration you are!

[fishyfish4444]

Ms. McKechnie came to our class, pro bono, at NYU. Our impoverished dance program had the greatest prima ballerina assoluta of the American Musical Theatre participating in a seminar. Her generous words gave me ideas and enlightenment on how to think as a performing artist, in the business of performing. I have never worked for free, and am now a millionaire. Thank you, Ms. McKechnie.

A generous artist-Ms. McKechnie! I will never forget what she gave to us in this brief appearance.

[porterp]

UNBELIEVEABLE

[Puppies140]

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! There'll never be another Donna.

[jontyjenny]

Colton u shud b ver proud of ur Aunt, she's probebly responcible 4 a lot of us goin in2 the buisness or maybe giving it a 2nd shot 3rd in my case. She's an inspiration 2 every1 who's ever kicked a heel up in a show or died trying lol We love her v.much. thank god for you tube so those of us who've never seen her perform in the flesh can witness her difinitive performance as Cassie. thank you v.much for posting this :) mwah! mwah!

[kenny6446]

Wow. They were REALLY off.

[runescape344]

my name is colton mckechnie shes my aunt!!!!!! my dad just told me about her!!!!!!!!

[thegaythespian]

I love the effect of the other cassies as the mirrors. wouldn't work in the actual show, but for a special show, it is Awesome!!!

[linningdown]

The original off-Broadway staging had Cassie doing all the sequences from the "Swan Lake" sequence on, with a group of six male dancers from the show. It's pretty much the same staging and many liked this better than Cassie doing the entire number solo.

[mlnreplyer]

Does anyone know why Donna wears Cassie's rehearsal skirt on her left hip while everyone else's is over their right? I know she did this during her original run in the show and remember there was a reason but I can't remember what it is.

[linningdown]

It could have been stylistic or something as simple as her being right handed. Ann Reinking began the show without the skirt but when Bennett insisted she add it, she decided to tie the skirt in the opposite direction because during the "handshake" sequence, it would be all leg and she felt it would be more pleasing to the audience. After that, every Cassie on Broadway did it the same way.

[ILoveBuzzers]

I think the others are supposed to be Donna's reflection...

[XMachineHeadzX]

It was originally worn this way. I think the rest of the Cassie's changed it so it would be more appealing to the audience during leg extensions, turns and stuff. Over time it became Donna's mark.

[funkydreads]

This performance was the gala celebration when A Chorus Line broke the record for (at that time) the longest running show on broadway. They had different casts perform different parts of the show. Anyone who ever appeared in any production was allowed to participate. Some numbers were performed by multi members of different casts. Some of the original cast members did not get to perform their parts. For the finale they had the floor reinforced to support the weight of over 200-300 dancers...

[Dalthis555]

That's pretty interesting, when i saw it it was just a solo dance with Cassie and a bunch of mirrors that were off center and at weird angles so it looked like there were 7 or 8 of her. But i saw the revival not the original performance.

[Piccolo13]

This is a special performance....normally Cassie dances alone wih the mirrors but apparently they thought it would be nice to pay tribute to other women who played Cassie by having them all come out and dance for this performance

[thegaythespian]

that is how it is normally done

[artofpoetry]

Does anyone know who the Cassie was to Donna's left? I thought she was pretty great, too.

Donna, of course, is one of a kind, and irreplaceable. No one has her limber sensuality. She also has a great line in sass which I've heard any other Cassie capture.

[wrathofthemedusa]

one 1 will ever do this number like her..she makes it come to life!

[cuilleree]

Damn--NICE BELT ("I'll do you PROOOOOUD!" "The chance to DAAAAAAAANCE!").

[sre65ct]

I saw Donna McKechnie in a different show a few years ago. She's still going strong. I have been listening to the cast recording of A Chorus Line for 25 years. It was cool to see here what the choreography looked like after hearing the song for many years.

[MissAlainey1991]

ya except for some reason she's assissted by random dancers, in the other version she dances alone

[broadwayadict]

its because this is some kindof reunion show its all the girls who played cassie up until that point

[jakling]

I remember seeing this show back in the 70's. Where is this video? Is it available for purchase? Anything is better than the movie version!

[ballet24houseislife]

If a chorus line doesn't make you fall in love with musical theatre, then there is no hope for you!

BRILLIANT!

[lawlzerskates]

@ballet24houseislife A Chorus Line was the first musical I ever saw and it really did make me fall in love with musical theater :)

[ballet24houseislife]

It's just wonderful. :)

[Selendomono]

damn. you can tell that this number was written and choreographed for her.

[antod11]

Glorious Donna. How exciting it must have been to have been there.

[doggys235]

How can you not adore Miss McKechnie?

Only she could perform this number with such elegance, grace, and raw intensity.

Astounding.

[sugarhoneyicedtea123]

how in the world did you get these videos?!

[saycheese808]

Homegirl, better WORK!!!!

[littleman1460]

That is just awesome! I love that.

[wmsanders2001]

and... this video is priceless from the performance mr bennett restaged to celebrate ACL becoming the longest running show in broaday history. the best musical. ever.

[cchenactor]

Holy Crap! Eight freakin' CASSIES giving it their passionate all ... at the same time?!!!!

If ever I wished for a time machine, it would be to go back to this performance in Sep '83 to see this special one marking its breakthrough run! (or opening night of West Side Story?) Wowzers!!!!

[triplethreatx333]

im doing this for my drama club audition in a month. unfortunately, i'm not allowed to carry it out for nine minutes so its being cut down to about 4. of course, I'm never gonna be able to replicate donna, but this is really showing me that it's "each to their own."

[Supadupa837]

Great, great dance. One of my absolute favorite dance solos. I only have one problem. Every girl is doing it differently, which is understandable if you're asking 8 girls to do that dance in perfect unison [a tall order, to say the least] so it's a little visually confusing. Otherwise, great job for everyone individually.

[ericrobertbritt]

I think everyone is doing it a little differently even for an artistically valid reason.

I mean, the whole point is that Cassie stands out and can't be in a chorus.

[Supadupa837]

Oh, I couldn't agree more.  I just don't love the group concept.

[maceball]

It couldn't be clearer that the whole point of the number is that they're all doing different things.

[musicalgeek406]

Agreed. It's clearly 8 soloist dancing, they just happen to be doing it at the same time. I kinda wish it was just Donna McKechie doing the entire thing by herself.

PS - She better WORK IT!

[lawlzerskates]

@Supadupa837 I think they're all doing it the way they performed it when they were Cassie, which of course would include slight variations(especially apparent towards the end).

[fossenyc26]

I am awe-struck by the life changing experience that Donna incorporated in this portrayl of Cassie..WOW...unbelievable!

[UndisputedTopFemme]

I posted on another clip, but it bears repeating- a few years earlier McKechnie had arthritis so severe that she couldn't get out of bed without help and was told by her doctor that eventually she would be unable to walk. To come back from that and dance like this... what an awe-inspiring accomplishment.

And with the themes Cassie embodies about persistence in the face of adversity, not giving up, insisting on a second chance- McKechnie's achievement adds an incredibly moving layer to it.

[erikadiane]

bravo martha. donna *is* a goddess, there was never any denying that....

[lf1234]

Do you have a clip of the finale of One? Please say you do!!!!!!

[Alfie4]

This is great apart from the 1st trombone player at the end...that's meant to be apocalyptic timpani and bass trombone more than high trombone which makes it sounds, frankly, rubbish

[marthaschlamme]

Actually, Bennett had very little to do with this choreography. McKechnie came up with most of this on her own with the drummer as they were workshopping the number. Bennett meant to "fix" it when it went uptown but "never got around to it". Of course, that may have been his passive-aggressive side talking, but McKechnie confirms it all in Time Steps.

[lf1234]

This really is amazing, like a dreamscape.

Only Michael Bennett could've pulled off topping his own masterpiece.

[mantomandave]

So wonderful to see this -- only confirms in my mind there will NEVER be anyone who dances quite like Donna. An indescribable magic. I remember waiting outside the Shubert theater (temp was 14 degrees!) to get her autograph (she never came out after the matinee). :-( I just read her autobiography "Time Steps" -- she comes across as a lovely person as well (confirmed by a coupla friends who know her). Also, I feel her acting over the years in this role has become deeper and even more poignant.

[ActorSinger51]

Donna is amazing for someone with Reumatoid Arthritis. I saw her as Lucille in No No Nanette a few weeks ago in Waltham, MA--she was amazing, as always.

[donnamckechnie]

lovely to see all the cassies. brings back a lot of memories,

[homerbunny]

It sure does. I was in the audience for the matinee (which I think this is). I still recall the sensation of an entire audience actually leaning forward in unison when you turned around for the first dance break. And the simultaneous shouts of "YEAH!" and "GO!GO!" There will never be another audience quite like that one -- everyone was there out of love! I hope some day the entire video of this will be shown publicly.

[premon]

That was weird, especially towards the end.

[jackyboi87]

yeh i agree... the choreography can be varied soo much that it looks crap with 5 other people trying to do the same thing

[suttonfan123]

"It looks crap"

WHAT? Seriously? I thought that was thrilling.

[jackyboi87]

dont get me wrong... i think that m.a.t.m is one of the greatest numbers ever staged, spesh with donna. but the choreography is styled in accordance to the dancer. all of them have a different spin on it, makin it look a lil messy. in my opinion that is

[bgwcl]

is that not the idea though? that all the cassies from broadway do it their way?

[Hoofer26]

obviously Donna is my favorite, but I love how vicki frederick is rocking the long hair and totally knows how to use it!

[vellure]

OMG!! That was INSANE!!

[suttonfan123]

Oh my goodness. That was probably the most thrilling thing I've ever witnessed.

[tbird186]

Is there any way you could post the the entire show???

[EvanK]

I am so confused, why is there more girls all of a sudden? why is this a record breaking performance! I NEED A STORY AHHH

[ronniecheesecake]

In 1983, when A Chorus Line passed Grease to become the longest running musical in Bway history, a special performance of the show was put on to commemorate the occasion. All performers who had appeared in any of the companies up to that point, Bway, national and international, were invited to participate. Thus, I believe all eight (up to that point) actresses who had played Cassie on Bway were featured on stage in that number

[SpiceboyMJ]

oh my god! i think this is one of the most ah-mazing videos of all time. brought tears to my eyes! beyond thrilling to see some of the top female dancers of all time dancing for their lives! love it!!!!

[ActorSinger51]

2 good friends of mine are performing with her in a regional production of "No, No, Nannette" in Waltham, MA. Donna is Lucille.

[chrisampm]

This has been my holy grail. I heard it was one of the greatest theater events of all time, and here you are leting us see the proof. I cannot thank you enough. Now I'll be greedy. If you've got more, and you fear ppl aren't interested in the smaller moments, at least one is interested in any and everything else. thanks again

[an7iguy]

Donna kills it, but I think every Cassie onstage EASILY held their own.

[Chevstriss]

goddess

[toad455]

Excellent!!