By Arlene McKanic
For those who don't know, “A Chorus Line,” with a book by Kirkwood and Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by the late Edward Kleban and choreography by the late Michael Bennett, is about a group of aspiring dancers vying for a chance to do their thing on a Broadway chorus line. The Beari production has Debbie Bendana as director, Alan Kingsley as musical director and Juliana Fazio as choreographer.”This is the hardest working unit,” said Rene Bendana, Beari's co-founder and the play's producer, over lunch at the Flagship Restaurant on Queens Boulevard a few weeks before the musical's opening. “They have the usual insecurities, but what that does, it spurs you on.” Rehearsals were Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., except for the last week and a half, when three rehearsals and a dance rehearsal were added.The audition process for the play was “very difficult,” since there were so many talented people to choose from, but the company ended up with the cast that they wanted, including Beari veterans Jimmy O'Neill and Sylvia Walsh, who were both so good in the recent Beari production of “South Pacific.” “They're very talented people, with professional backgrounds, and we are so lucky because we do good work,” said Bendana of his cast and crew. “We're not a professional company but we strive to be as professional as we can. It's a stepping stone for a young performer, professionals who've gotten out of the business and of course, my beautiful wife Debbie, who's directing.””We're Beari Limited now,” he adds of the nearly 8-year-old company. “We're going to be non-profit so we can put money into the company.” Enthusiastically, he lists plans to refurbish the theater's careworn curtain, its walls, its floors, its lighting. Bendana and his wife have known each other for 15 years and been married for four. They met during a production of “Call Me Madam” and were soon planning their own company. The very first Beari show was the revue Magical Musical Moments, which was followed by shows such as “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Magical Musical Moments II,” “The Odd Couple,” “Godspell,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “South Pacific” and “Abie's Irish Rose.” “A Chorus Line” will run through May 29, when there will be a special twilight performance at the Trinity Lutheran Church at 63-70 Dry Harbor Rd. Call 718-736-1263 for reservations.
