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Fiorella_Nolis_è_"Connie"_in_A_Chorus_Line-0

Fiorella Nolis è "Connie" in A Chorus Line-0

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Original portrayal by Baayork Lee. (Martha Swope)

Connie Wong is one the auditioners in A Chorus Line who makes it past the initial cut. She was originally portrayed on Broadway by Baayork Lee, and most of the character is drawn from Lee's own life.

Background[]

Connie introduces herself as being born on the Lower East Side of Chinatown (New York) on "December 5, 4642, the Year of the Chicken", which equates to the Western year 1945 and would make her 31 at the time of the play's premiere. If the actress is not Asian, she introduces herself as Connie Edna May Sue MacKenzie and being born on Groundhog Day in Greenville, North Carolina and initially passing herself off as 21. She wears her hair in pigtails, and the usual costume is a plum jumpsuit over a pink long-sleeved shirt.

Early Life/Family[]

Most of Connie's life is discussed during The Montage. She was a performer from early on, starting at age 5 in The King And I (same as Baayork's experience). She idolized dancer Maria Tallchief and wished to be a ballerina, but her height hindered her from doing so, and also from being a cheerleader in high school. She does not mention any siblings, and while not specifically naming her parents, the line "You're not leaving this house until you're 21" implies they were extremely protective. Near the end of the show she mentions a husband but no children at the moment.

The Audition[]

Connie's number during "I Hope I Get It" is 149. The majority of her spoken and sung lines are during The Montage, such as revealing her age. During the Tap Combination she states that tap dancing is not her strongest point and has a difficult time relaxing. When Zach asks the dancers what they would if they couldn't dance anymore, she reveals looking forward to retiring with her husband and a family at a property in Vermont. She is not one of the final eight chosen.

In earlier drafts of the script, she and Richie had a duet titled "Confidence" about the pressures of being a non-white performer at auditions, and there was also a section about working as an assistant to Zach, much like Baayork Lee assisted Michael Bennett.

The Movie[]

Connie was portrayed in the 1985 movie adapation of A Chorus Line by Jan Gan Boyd. Her birth date and location remain the same. While her singing parts in The Montage were removed with the elimination of that number, she still speaks of playing a teenager while being an adult, with an additional line of attending the same acting class at the High School of Performing Arts with Diana. She remains not one of the final eight chosen.

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