"A Class Act"

Tomorrow night, say happy birthday to Ed.

The Footlight Players opens its tribute to Edward Kleban, "A Class Act," on the birthday of the often overlooked musical theatre composer and lyricist.

"The show, it's not very well known," said Robbie Thomas, who plays Ed. "It's basically a show about the man who wrote the lyrics for 'A Chorus Line,' Edward, and his life. Some people consider him an unsung hero. When people think of 'A Chorus Line,' they don't really think of Ed.

"Once he passed away, I think in 1989, in his will, he wanted his friends to put together a bunch of his songs that he had written that had never seen the light of day," Thomas said. "And put them together for people to hear. And that became 'A Class Act.' It's all his music and it's kind of a biography of his life."

Kleban and Marvin Hamlisch were honored in 1976 with a Tony Award for the score on "A Chorus Line." His work also was performed posthumously on Broadway.

The difficulty in Kleban's life came from internal struggle. Thomas compares him to the little engine that could, except he was the one who would take himself off the tracks.

"He wasn't quite normal, he was very neurotic, had a lot of phobias," said Thomas.

"He was never a people person. He shot himself in the foot a lot, pushed people away. He even did a stint in a mental institution because of extended depression when he was younger."

Kleban, as Thomas points out, was never the most attractive guy in the room. He was a short, balding, Jewish man from New York and isn't exactly the typical male lead for a musical. But then again, neither is Thomas.

"I'm never going to play Tony from West Side Story, I just don't fit the part," he said. "So it's very interesting for me to see how an audience reacts to this musical that isn't your typical musical.

"It's very real, and it's very much everyday situations, but taken to some extremes. I'm very interested to see how an audience reacts to such realism, especially in an art form that tends to not be that realistic."

It's the realism of this musical, though, that makes it poignant, he said.

"It gives him the recognition that he so rightfully deserves," said Thomas. "He really was a genius. I hope people can come in and watch and listen to a great story about a real person."

"It's very relatable. We all may not be in a mental institution, but we all go through these times when we wonder why people don't like us, or why we're not getting credit we deserve or the recognition for our efforts."