I just got back from the gym.  Are you laughing?  Do I hear laughing?  Stop.  I may have forgotten where my gym was located for the past 6 months, but lately I have been making a real effort.  I do a little treadmill.  I step it up on the elliptical a little bit.  I took a "body architecting" class last week that left my triceps in agony for two days (that says less about the strenuousness of the class and more about how out of shape I am).  However, I could spend 24 hours a day in the gym and I still wouldn't have biceps like Mario Lopez.  Which might be a point in my favor if I ever wanted to appear on stage with Mr. Lopez, because apparently he doesn't like his ‘ceps to be upstaged by anyone else.  In short, he wants all eyes on his arms - and no one else's.

 Mr. Lopez and his bulging arms are currently appearing in the Broadway show A Chorus Line in the role of Zach.  Lopez is getting high marks for his work in the show and even higher marks for his slammin' body.  A few things have been tweaked and re-staged for Lopez's appearance in the show to highlight his dancing and his physique.  The "blocking" and some choreography has been revamped so that Lopez appears on stage a bit more than his predecessors and dances a bit more than previous Zach's.   His wardrobe has also been altered.  The show, in the past, has been extremely faithful to the original production of A Chorus Line, right down to the costumes.  However, instead of the traditional Zach costume (a long sleeve tan sweater), Lopez is seen wearing a more revealing outfit.  Designed, no doubt, to flaunt his physical gifts.  I am not opposed to this; this is business folks and you have to give the audiences what they want - and they want some "eye-candy".

A new piece of info surfaced last week (thanks to the NY Post and our gossipy friend Michael Riedel).  Word is that a member of the cast, whose biceps are BIGGER than Mario Lopez's (is that possible - bigger?), has been re-costumed to cover those powerful gunz.  They made him wear a hoodie so Lopez would have the biggest arms on stage.  Can this possibly be true?  Is Lopez really that intent on not having his muscles overshadowed by others?  Can this, in any reasonable world, be that big of a deal?  Am I actually devoting an entire post to this subject?  I am.  I am. 

The offending biceps belong to Nick Adams who plays the assistant choreographer, Larry.  Until Lopez's arrival in the show Adams wore a tank top with the number 17 on it.  A duplicate of the original costume and also an inside joke (there are 17 dancers trying out for the show).  Now, with Lopez's arrival,  Adams wears the original costume in the opening number and then adds a hoodie for the rest of the show (most notably, any time he is on stage next to Lopez).  This is all fact.  The producers admit that Adams' costume has changed.  They say, however, that the change was made for clarity.  Producers argued that since the boys BOTH had such amazing arms - audiences were getting confused about who was who.  WTF?  You are kidding.  Ok, one of them is Mario Lopez and the other is a totally different person who is NOT playing the role of Zach!  Hello?  That story doesn't really hold water.  Not at all. 

I feel it is my duty to fight for the integrity of the show.  Adams should wear the original costume.  It is VERY important to maintain the original design elements of the show.  The revival is homage to the legacy of A Chorus Line and this costume change is truly damaging the reputation and honor of the show.  I DEMAND that Adams take off the hoodie and proudly flex his bod in that tank top.  And for those of you out there that think I am really only interested in seeing more flesh on stage - I say "shame on you".  "Shame on YOU!"  Ok...I'm lying.  I really want more flesh on stage.  Viva la biceps!

Alright - all this talk about muscles has gotten me feeling like a hippo.  I have got to go back to the gym and do a few sets of bicep curls.  If I don't see you at the gym, I will...

~ See You On The Aisle