One of the most dreaded sights on Broadway is the white insert in the playbill letting you know that the show’s star is out that night.
Yet theatergoers at new musical “The Visit” have at least some consolation should Chita Rivera miss a performance: Her standby is none other than Donna McKechnie, the dancer-singer who memorably created the role of Cassie in “A Chorus Line.”
“This is my first Kander and Ebb show on Broadway, and I’m beside myself,” says McKechnie, who did a tour of “Cabaret” with Billy Crystal in the ’80s.
At least she and “The Visit” choreographer Graciela Daniele go way back — to a Broadway musical they did in 1968.
“I was a chorus girl in ‘Promises, Promises,’ and I looked up to Donna because I wanted to be like her,” Daniele recalls. “And then I was in ‘Chicago,’ and I wanted to be like Chita. Now, I am in the same show with both of them, and I am still learning from them!”
Still, waiting in the wings can be nerve-racking. “I feel lucky to be there, but then I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be very nervous if I have to go onstage,’ ” admits McKechnie, who, at 72, is 10 years younger than Rivera. “But I don’t worry about Chita — she’s healthy, she’s going to be fine. I just want to learn the role so I can do it at some point in my life. I’m hoping it’ll be later than sooner, OK?”
This is McKechnie’s first Broadway outing since “State Fair” 19 years ago, though she’s kept busy. “I do theater and concerts all over but Broadway . . .” She trails off. “Well, I’m a woman of a certain age, and maybe I have to be realistic about that.”
Above all, though, McKechnie sounds awed by the opportunity to work alongside Rivera, whom she’s known since the 1970s.
“I’ve always admired her so much,” she says. “There’s no one like Chita. This part allows her to draw on her wealth of experience and knowledge. I’m just sitting there, counting my blessings to be in the same room.”