It's Curtains for Broadway Dancer Jennifer Dunne! Let's Have A Look!
At long last Jennifer Dunne has a part that belongs to her. The costume is her size, the wig fits her head, and the shoes are only for her dancing feet. This time around she needn't be eliminated because she can't fit into the very expensive costume the original girl wore. In the Broadway hit "Curtains" Dunne is the original girl. She has finally achieved her dream (and the dream of most Broadway gypsies) to have a role in a new show created on her. After a passel of replacement parts in existing shows or revivals Dunne auditioned for "Curtains," the murder mystery musical nominated for a 2006 Tony, and won the part in a most unusual manner.
"I had just finished auditioning for a replacement spot, (my usual slot) in 'The Wedding Singer,' she recalled. "Rob Ashford, the choreographer, was relentless, and the choreography was tough. My legs were about to fall off, and I knew I had the 'Curtains' audition right after this one, and later in the afternoon a replacement call for 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,'" fortunately all in the same place at the Ripley-Grier studios. " A lot of dancing for one afternoon, but dancers who need jobs are used to this. Ashford had picked five girls, having weeded out hundreds beforehand, and she had been one of the five lasting until the end. He only needed one, and she was not it. The "why," as usual, remained a mystery.
"Could have been any number of things including the simple fact that I couldn't fit into the costume," she reflected, sorting out possibilities while hustling over to the "Curtains" lineup. Though Dunne is a member of the union and a veteran of many shows, she was obliged to take her place along with the others, hoping she would hold up until the last audition of the afternoon for 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." She hoped Ashford might have noted her stamina, her strong dancing, and her limitless grit and the "Singer" call. "I didn't know Rob, but I knew he had taken notice of me in the morning," she recalled. "Maybe when he sees me he will think, hey, this girl is really determined. Here she is again."
Determination, without which there is no payoff on Broadway, set in early in Dunne's life. Born and raised in Traverse City, Michigan (not a major dance center with abundant classes) with parents who were not in favor of a dance career for their daughter, it was all up to her to pursue her dream. The proverbial light bulb went off one morning at age twelve when she took herself to a jazz class. The joy of that first class lingered with her for a long time, and though she did the usual high school sports she lived out her teen-age years without much dance training. Her uncle, James Dunne, was a successful dancer in New York, and though he did not act as direct motivation his niece was impressed when she saw him dance on Tina Turner's video. The lure of New York was increasing. She managed to convince her parents to accept the invitation to attend New York University. Lack of money was a factor, and Dunne was not able to pay for the extra dance classes she needed plus go to school, but again her goal was not to be denied. She marshaled her forces and plunged ahead.
"The minute my feet hit the ground in New York, I was off and running," she said. "I would audit dance classes, no credit, but it was a way to gain technique. I would take classes whenever --during lunch break, at night, weekends. I would clean up bathrooms at various studios in exchange for classes, no problem. I needed to catch up."
Then Carol Rioux appeared in Dunne's life. She became her teacher and her mentor as well. "I met with her every weekend," she said. "Carol guided my learning process and refined my dancing. With some scholarship help from various studios and her guidance I got stronger and my ballet technique, so important at auditions, got very much better."
Whatever Dunne did that busy afternoon at Ripley-Grier impressed Rob Ashford. The job in "Curtains" was hers, though she did not know it then. So off she went to the "Dirty Rotten" call, and that job was hers as well. She managed to ask them for some time, not wanting to accept the job until she heard from "Curtains." "Dirty Rotten" would have been another replacement spot, and she longed for a track of her own. However, there is always the interminable waiting period after an audition -- days, weeks, before the phone call comes. In the meantime, should she take the sure thing or wait for what she truly wanted. She might end up with no job. The dancer sweats it out.
Dunne's most memorable moment was at a "Curtains" costume fitting. "William Ivey Long looked at me and said 'I'm going to create something just for you.' I was thrilled. Rob's choreography is for me, the track is always mine, and the character is me. I had originated a role. No matter who took my place down the line, it would always be mine."