By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
November 1, 2002
Donna McKechnie still is one singular sensation. The Tony Award-winning actress/singer/dancer made a name for herself as Cassie in the original Broadway cast of “A Chorus Line” in 1976. But it’s her storytelling ability that’s winning her kudos in her latest production, “An Evening With Donna McKechnie–My Musical Comedy Life!” The show is running through this weekend at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights.
“This production is a hybrid of a theatrical show I developed a few years ago,” McKechnie says, phoning from her New York home after a midday nap. “The old show was about a girl who grows up in the Midwest during the 1950s and runs away to New York. I pulled about 50 percent of the numbers from that show and incorporated some other things. I took some saloon songs I had done in the past and put together this cabaret experiment that involves a lot of storytelling. My theater background helps me in that aspect, and I try to do a bit of theater in a cabaret setting.”
Of course, those cabaret stages don’t allow her much room to show off her fancy dance steps. So she fudges by creating “dance illusion.”
“I hit all the poses,” she says, laughing. “That works well enough in this show.”
Most memorable tour: There were so many wonderful ones, but touring with Ethel Merman stands out because I was young and she was wonderful.
Tell us an Ethel story: It was 1968 and I was about 20 and I was in awe of her. She was very standoffish and never said hello to me, but I always admired her and wanted to please her. It was August and I was drenched in sweat. After the show, the stage manager came back with a note from her. He said, “Remember, it’s not from me.” The note asked me to stop sweating so much–it was disturbing her concentration. What would I do? I said, “OK, I’ll do it.”
Later, I was leaving the show to go on another tour. She was crossing her eyes and making clucking noises. I came off stage and said, “There’s something wrong with her.” It was explained to me that in vaudeville, that was a way of paying homage–a way of saying goodbye and good luck. That’s what she was doing. It meant so much to me because I found out later that her daughter was the last actress to play the part I was playing, and she had committed suicide three months earlier. I felt so bad for her. She was in grief and her only means of coping was to perform. I thought she had hated me, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Looking forward to seeing: [The upcoming Eminem movie] “8 Mile.” I was raised outside Detroit. I was more like 15 miles.
Favorite activity while in town: I love to walk around. Chicago is such a beautiful city.
On tributes: I love paying homage to all the great artists who are no longer with us. I really like reminding the audience of people like Bob Fosse and Michael Bennett.
On being identified with “A Chorus Line”: It’s an honor. I’ll always love that role.
On growing older and wiser: When you’re young, “It’s all about me.” You grow up and learn quickly that’s not the case.
Best thing about playing to Chicago audiences: There’s a different sensibility in every part of the country, but the Midwest is very “salt of the earth” and honest. There’s no overreaction. They’ll be polite or quiet if they don’t like you, and they’ll let you know if they love you. The theater audience in Chicago is very sophisticated. There’s a great exposure to the arts there.
The last word on Chicago: Beautiful.
