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YANNIV FRANK takes center stage with Hannah Backer, Jenna Solomon and Elijah Levi-Dabby to the audience’s left in The Riverdale Rising Stars’ ‘A Chorus Line’ on Sunday.
Teen spirit fills this ‘Chorus Line’ production By Shant Shahrigian sshah@riverdalepress.com
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CASANDRA HERNANDEZ plays the self-questioning Cassie.
any personal experience to bear on his performance, Kene Kavanagh, a freshman at the David A. Stein Riverdale/ Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 141), said, “Yeah, I brought insecurities to the show.” “I don’t have a bad childhood or a bad adolescence at the moment,” he
continued, “but I definitely did bring in fears that I’ve had and everything that I’m scared of and everything that makes me happy just all mixed into the show.” Jenna Solomon, 18, said she wants to go into show business and could relate to her character Sheila’s career
concerns. But she added that portraying Sheila’s problems at home did not come easily. “I grew up in a very stable, happy family,” the young actor said. “I guess I just never realized it’s very, very common for people to have really bad parental situations and how much it re-
ISABEL RODRIGUEZ pours out her heart as Diana.
IT’S COMPLICATED for Casandra Hernandez’s Cassie and Julian Bar-Illan’s Zach.
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Chorus Line” boldly takes on insecurities about one’s body, relationships and future. What show could be more apt for a group of teen performers? The Riverdale Rising Stars have filled their current run of the modern classic with all the angst of adolescence. From the character Val’s (played by Stella Berfas, 17) frank monologues about perceived shortcomings with her body to Cassie’s (Casandra Hernandez, 17) fear that she cannot act, the heavy concerns at the center of the musical get a refreshingly youthful touch in the show happening at The Riverdale Y through Sunday, Jan. 4. The performance starts off with an exposition of insecurities held by the characters, who are all desperate to be in an unnamed Broadway show. No-nonsense director Zach (Julian Bar-Illan, 18) quizzes a line of auditioners to discover one is hoping to make her break, another is staving off career doom and everyone is teeming with concerns about whether it will all work out in the big city. Nearly non-stop dance routines, earnest solos and lively choruses propel the roughly two-hour show through its characters’ ups and downs. Speaking after the performance, several members of the Rising Stars — which has nurtured many a theater aspirant in its 13 years of existence so far — said they could relate to their characters’ fears about show business. When asked whether he brought
ally can affect someone’s life.” “Because my character specifically deals with that, it’s something I had to really work on.” Amid the show’s atmosphere of self-doubt, even the director’s note in the program betrayed a touch of anxiety. The show “turned out to be one of those soul-searching moments,” Laurie Walton wrote. “I had planned on all of my seniors being a part of the production. It turned out that a handful of them opted out because of college application demands and I was left with the dilemma of whether or not to present a play of such depth and mature content with an obviously younger group of rising stars.” Stella and the other actors said the cast adapted to the lack of seniors in the show and came to bond in new ways. “I think it’s been a really good process seeing how younger kids can act,” Stella remarked. Kene added that “A Chorus Line’s” lack of dominant lead roles let the Rising Stars share the spotlight “I actually think it made us like each other more because we got to know each other more,” he said. That seemed like a nice upshot for a group of teenagers just embarking on the world of careers and adult emotions discussed in their show. “A Chorus Line” runs at The Riverdale Y until Sunday, Jan. 4. Tickets cost $13. For more information, visit www. riverdalerisingstars.com. The Rising Stars note “due to mature themes and language, this show is rated PG-13, and may not be appropriate for viewing by young children.”