--Angie Schworer is a chorus who made good by being in a big Broadway hit for years.
Now she's stepping into the spotlight with a tailor-made role for
her 11th show on the boards, The Prom. [music]
--I feel like this is the greatest day of my life.
--Do you like getting dolled up? and do you enjoy dress up?
--Yes!
I love people doing it for me.
I feel very glamorous.
--Well this is like a big moment, though, The Prom.
Does it feel like a big moment?
--I know that's what I said I feel like a kid in a candy store.
I very lucky.
--Yeah.
--I'm a very very lucky girl.
--Since her debut in 1991, Angie Schworer has been one of Broadway's most standout dancers
and her spotlight role in The Prom is custom-made for her personality and
talents, --I play Angie who's I'm a chorus girl who's been in Chicago for 20 years
and they've never let me play Roxie Hart.
They never let me go on, so I finally quit, and that's where I start at
the beginning of the show.
--Although she hasn't been kicking in the chorus of
Chicago herself for two decades, the part of the tried and true Broadway vet is
close to home for Schworer.
When the creators of the prom were developing the
show they called the character Angie simply because she was so much like
Angie.
Finally director choreographer Casey Nicholaw told Angie about Angie.
--We were on the set of Smash and this was years
ago.
He's directing an episode and we were walking to craft services to get a
bev and he said we're writing this part we're reading this part we call her Angie
Schworer.
We call the character Angie Schworer.
So that was many years ago so do you really think did I ever really
know that that was gonna pan out?
I mean this is show business you never never never know.
["You Happened" from The Prom]
-- I grew up in Fort Mitchell Kentucky, a
little town in Kentucky, and I took dance my whole life at
the Ziegler's studio of dance in Covington Kentucky.
Once a week a half-hour of tap half our ballet half
our jazz, and then I also took a crow so I really was into that
gymnast.
--When you were a little girl were you like that?
Were you like the center of attention and always
--Yeah well I would do roundoff backhandspring
down the hall to say hi to people, so I guess
so?
--Bit of a show off?
--Bit of a show off.
But I didn't do musicals at all.
I was a cheerleader.
so I didn't do my first book show til I was in
college.
My first part was Lois in Kiss Me Kate.
I was a showgirl in Atlantic City, I was a showgirl in Japan.
I opened up MGM Studios back down at Disney because
that's when they started hiring taller ladies, and then I came to the Broadway.
--The Will Rogers Follies was my first show .Tommy Tune liked me, Cy Coleman
wished I sang better, but they still hired me.
Always something right?
Then I met Stro, and she likes her tall show girl girls
you know?
That sort of helped snowball my career too I think my showgirl
career.
-- Tony winner Susan Stroman featured Schworer in many of her Broadway hits, and
gave her her first star turn right here at the St. James theatre and her biggest hit
of all The Producerr.
Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson.
She sort of was dumb as a fox you know?
It was just a lovable sweet vulnerable character to play.
I got to wear white, white, a white leotard and it
was a very glamorous leading lady.
I did almost the last four years on Broadway and
I would still be doing it to this day if my body could.
Those splits.
The splits get harder as you get older.
--Angie Schworer stayed with The Producers for a total
of six years, starting in the ensemble and then playing Ula on the road
and on Broadway.
During her time with the show, her offstage life also became
more interesting.
--I have a husband, he's my second one, and I have two stepchildren
that are 22 and 24 now.
I raised them from 10 and 12 till now, and I
have a grandbaby because my stepdaughter has a one-year-old grace.
I'm gonna have her call me Grangie.
She doesn't talk yet but I'm gonna call me Grangie.
What do you think?
Good right?
--Schworer married new love Richard Bird and leapt feet first into the role of mom to
his two children.
--You know they they lost their mother, so I just took it on.
I was like this I got this!
So we moved out to Chatham, New Jersey for a little while.
They went to high school.
I learned to cook and make dinner you know tried to
get us all four to sit down.
It was the hardest thing I have done my whole life,
but very rewarding now.
--Schworer and her husband are back in Manhattan full-time, and she remains passionate
and positive about her showbiz career.
--It's harder as you get older, you know.
I can't really be in that lineup anymore, but I'm not worried.
I never worried about that part.
Scrappy Angie just sort of took it as it came.
So I'm just gonna continue doing that.
[music]
[applause] [cheers]
--Eight times a week, Schworer can be seen giving audiences some zazz in The Prom at
the Longacre Theatre.
There's nowhere this true Broadway star would rather be.
--This is otherworldly.
I don't really know how to put it into words because if you
would have told that little Kentucky girl that was doing roundoff
back handsprings down the hallway....Whoo!
Okay.
I don't know.
If you would have told her that there was gonna be a role on Broadway that
was called Angie, whoo, yeah it's it's
quite something.
[music]