It’s their big break

“I hope I get it.” That line may express the hopes of the characters in “A Chorus Line,” but the performers in the touring production at the Ahmanson Theatre already have it. If you don’t believe us, just consider the punishing routine these young dancers are enduring.

For each show, the principal cast performs two intermissionless hours of high-kicking dance numbers interspersed with 13 soul-searching songs. Multiply that by eight (as in performances a week), and then stretch that over 13 months and 29 cities for the national tour -- with a few days off here and there, if you’re lucky.

So it was with great enthusiasm that the performers leaped at a recent invitation to spend an afternoon of leisure away from the theater. The destination? Bergamot Station in Santa Monica.

For a few blissful, work-free hours, five singular sensations (from a principal cast of 18) raced through the art gallery complex while chatting about their lives, careers and the privilege of performing in Michael Bennett’s mother of all musical juggernauts. “Some of us are actually becoming our characters,” said Emily Fletcher, who plays the imperious dancer-tigress Sheila. The actress demonstrated by placing her right hand on her hip and then shifting her torso into a haughty pose. “After a while, it works certain muscles. I’m developing a ‘Sheila hip.’ ”

The first stop on their visit was the Peter Fetterman Gallery. The cast marveled at an exhibition of rare Henri Cartier-Bresson photographs, including images of Parisian street life, the countryside and famous personalities such as Truman Capote and Marilyn Monroe.

“I love the ones he took of the ballet dancers,” said Nikki Snelson, who plays Cassie, a blond hoofer who has fallen on hard times and desperately needs a break.

The performer says her life parallels that of her character -- an early foray into Broadway was followed by a move to Los Angeles that proved difficult and demoralizing. That was followed by a move back to New York and having to start from scratch.

In the Frank Pictures Gallery, the cast got to pose in front of artist Ron Reihel’s iridescent installations that glow in the dark and capture one’s silhouette.

“Emily, do the Sheila pose!” said one of the cast members. (She happily obliged.)

The cast also got to play with gallery owner Laurie Frank’s dog, Daddy, which once belonged to painter Ed Moses. But the real surprise here was Maria Munroe’s “eturns” -- a set of crystalline spheres made from cremated human remains.

“This is definitely the way I want to go,” said Snelson. Some of the cast members asked for the artist’s business card.

After settling in for lunch at the Bergamot Cafe, the actors talked about the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning show that will consume their lives for the next year.

This production, which originated from Bob Avian’s 2006 Broadway revival, faithfully re-creates the 1975 staging and choreography, down to the smallest step-kick moves. Even the costumes and sets, by Theoni V. Aldredge and Robin Wagner, respectively, have been lovingly replicated.

“What I’m really excited about is performing in L.A.,” said Ian Liberto, who plays Bobby, a sarcastic and snippy gay dancer. “The show is about wanting to land the part. It sounds crazy, but I can feel the audience responding to us.”

Clyde Alves, who plays Mike, an Italian American dancer from the Bronx, compares the show’s grueling opening dance number to being shot out of a cannon. “It’s brutal, and the timing has to be specific,” he said. “I look at this show as surgery -- nothing is general and everything is specific.”

By 4 p.m., the cast members headed back to their limousine. They’re required to spend at least an hour before curtain time warming up -- a routine developed by choreographer Baayork Lee, who starred in the original Broadway production.

“It’s really intense. It’s like doing a whole other show,” said one cast member.

Another shot back, “Oh, I’m never there on time.” The performers burst into laughter as they all piled into the car.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

‘A CHORUS LINE’

WHERE: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.

WHEN: Ends July 6

PRICE: $30-$100

INFO: (213) 628-2772, centertheatregroup.org

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WHERE: Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Artscenter, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: Aug. 19-31

PRICE: $23.25-$78.25

INFO: (714) 556-2787, ocpac.org

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Faces from the crowd

“A Chorus Line” celebrates the individuals behind the generic head shots. In that spirit, we asked five cast members to reveal something about themselves and to gently dish on the current revival at the Ahmanson.

CLYDE ALVES

Hometown: Brampton, Canada.

Character: Mike, an Italian American dancer who was teased as a boy.

Costume secret: The guys get to wear the battery packs [for their mikes] in their crotches. I spend five to 10 minutes every day making my crotch look like a crotch, so you don’t see a box sticking out. I feel sorry for the sound guy.

Best part of touring: We do the same thing every single night -- but it’s different from being in a sit-down production. On tour, we experience completely different things. I think that keeps the show fresh.

Favorite warm-up exercise: My favorite stretch is when we lie on our backs and put our legs over our heads to stretch our Achilles. Usually we have 45 minutes before the show starts, so what’s most important is to keep warming up during that period -- along with putting each other down in the dressing room.

Must-sees while in L.A.: That weird guitar guy who roller-skates on Venice Beach.

NIKKI SNELSON

Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.

Character: Cassie, a has-been dancer looking to make it big again.

Most difficult scene: It’s standing on the line for as long as we do. We stand there for 20-minute intervals while other people talk, and we’re supposed to be still and interactive. During rehearsals, I passed out once. One of the producers made me a “Got Oxygen?” T-shirt.

Costume secret: I have an abnormally long torso and my leotard rides up. So I’ve been told to spray hair spray on my bum to keep the leotard in place.

Must-do while in L.A.: Hiking in Runyon Canyon. I lived here off and on for a while, but I didn’t take advantage of the cultural things. We get uppity in our New York mind-set. You have to seek it out, and I think L.A. is amazing for that.

Worst onstage mishap: In our first show in L.A., I had quite the drama. My contact lens fell out in the very beginning. . . . I was holding my contact between my two fingers and kept running offstage at various points to put it back in.

EMILY FLETCHER

Hometown: Tallahassee, Fla.

Character: Sheila, a cynical, sexy dancer nearing the end of her career.

Favorite warm-up exercise: None of the above. Dock my salary! Our choreographer gives us a conditioning class -- it’s like 100 push-ups, 1,000 leg lifts and a whole bunch of sit-ups. It’s pretty intense.

Worst part of touring: The food situation. When you’re living in a hotel, you learn to be creative. You learn how to eat things out of a coffee maker -- anything that can be brewed with hot water. I’ve also used my eyeliner brush to make oatmeal.

Costume secret: My microphone is in my bra. The other side has to be padded to match the microphone. I also wear lingerie straps to tuck in my mike wires. I call it my “Sheila rig.”

Worst onstage mishap: I understudied the Broadway cast, and I covered three of the tracks. Sometimes you have to stop yourself from singing other people’s lines.

Most difficult scene: The “Alternative” scene -- it’s when we talk about what we would do if we didn’t dance. As a young dancer and actor, you want to think that you’re invincible. But that scene forces you to think of the alternatives. Especially for Sheila, she’s coming to the end of her career.

IAN LIBERTO

Hometown: Libertyville, Ill.

Character: Bobby, a snippy, sweater-clad gay performer.

Costume secret: Our glittery suits for the final scene -- everything is sewn together. The pants, the dress shirt and the vest are all one piece. So you just step in and zip up. We change socks too, though no one sees them, so it doesn’t matter. We have a bunch of dressers backstage who help.

Worst onstage mishap: Once I went to put on my big finale costume and the zipper only went up one side of the jacket. I had to pin the whole thing together. It was all my fault!

Must-do while in L.A.: Shopping. I’ve been to the Grove, and it wasn’t that great. I’m staying right off of Melrose, and I like that better. I’ve spent a lot of money there already.

Thoughts on the 1985 movie “A Chorus Line”: I loved the movie when I was younger! And oddly enough, I was attracted to the character of Bobby. But then I did the show and I lived in it, and I went back and watched the movie and was appalled.

GABRIELLE RUIZ

Hometown: Edinburg, Texas.

Character: Diana, an aspiring dancer from San Juan.

Most difficult scene: I don’t have a break before my big number “Nothing,” and when we were in Denver the air was really dry and I could feel the dryness in my voice. It’s a lot of standing to get to that point! Afterward, I run backstage to get a sip of water.

Worst onstage mishap: I have asthma, and during one performance, during the number “At the Ballet,” we all marched to the back, but I had to walk off -- and look for my inhaler. Luckily I was at the very end of the line, so not so many people noticed.

What would you do if you couldn’t dance? Your body is your job. More so than in any other profession. I would love to choreograph -- to pass down how to be a professional. You have to be smart -- you’re a freelance performer and you have to represent yourself.

Must-do while in L.A.: Disneyland!