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Friendship at center stage

After a yearslong intermission, three Broadway veterans meet again for a Largo Cultural Center production.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES
Published November 13, 2005

LARGO - Theirs was a high-kicking, hip-rolling, shoulder-shaking friendship that began almost three decades ago and 1,000 miles away.

Annette Coppola was a Brooklyn teen with a burning desire to make it on Broadway.

Ronnie DeMarco was a world-class dance instructor who stressed style, technique and smooth transitions.

A Chorus Line, the musical that bares the dreams of Broadway hopefuls, played a starring role in their friendship - twice.

Coppola didn't begin dance lessons until the age of 15, so she had a lot of catching up to do. DeMarco, she said, was her inspiration.

"Ronnie had such a love of dance. He just drew you in," recalled Coppola, now 47.

She studied with DeMarco for several years and then, in 1981, at the age of 23, Coppola joined the cast of a national Broadway touring company of A Chorus Line. She was the understudy for several parts: Maggie, Diana, Bebe and Kristine.

Two years later, she danced on stage at New York's Shubert Theatre during the show's gala event to celebrate its record-breaking run.

After a few years, the question that plays a central role in A Chorus Line began to haunt Coppola for real. In the musical, which follows a group of men and women auditioning for eight spots in a chorus line, Zach, the director, asks them all, "What are you going to do when you can't dance anymore?"

For Coppola, the answer was a full-time job at a software company and, eventually, a family. In 2000, she moved with her family to Clearwater.

This spring, she was asked to step in and direct Countryside High School's production of The Glass Menagerie after the drama teacher went on maternity leave.

"I was shocked at how rewarding and inspiring it was to work with the kids," she said.

And then her past returned in an unexpected way.

Coppola was reading the St. Petersburg Times when she spotted an ad for A Chorus Line at the Largo Cultural Center. Its director, Rocco Morabito, was an old show biz pal who had styled hair and done makeup for Broadway stars.

The choreographer was none other than DeMarco.

"She flipped out," said her husband, Joe Helm.

Coppola tracked down DeMarco, now a Safety Harbor massage therapist, and left a voice mail on his phone.

"When she called me last week, I just screamed," said DeMarco, now 64. "Of all the people, I never expected her to be down here. We both live in the Countryside area, just a few minutes apart."

Coppola, DeMarco and Morabito arranged a reunion in the lobby of the Largo Cultural Center Wednesday night before the show started.

Coppola brought her husband and two sons, Zachary, 18, and Spencer, 15.

"I have goose bumps," she said before she saw them. "I'm sure they haven't changed much and are still full of vibrant, talented, creative energy."

DeMarco, whose credits include Broadway, television and teaching stints around the world, said he had been reliving old memories himself.

"I am excited and I can't wait to see her," he said.

He remembered his former student as a great dancer who worked hard and possessed a beautiful voice.

As Coppola entered the lobby, the three formed a group hug that lasted several minutes.

Morabito, once a hairdresser for Broadway's Chita Rivera who now owns the Makeover Place in Safety Harbor, ran his hand over Coppola's face.

"Look at this 18-year-old face," said Morabito, 61. "It hasn't changed a bit, not one wrinkle."

"I haven't had any work done, either," she said, smiling.

But the reunion had to be brief. At 8 p.m., everyone hurried to their respective seats and directors chairs.

After all, the show must go on.

[Last modified November 13, 2005, 03:00:43]