The musical “A Chorus Line” may be set on Broadway, but it carries with it a piece of Auburn in every single production.

Since its 1975 debut, the show has become a staple of Broadway culture, not only winning nine Tony Awards during the show's first run on Broadway, but garnering the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for drama. A movie adaptation starring Michael Douglas was created in 1985, and the show on Broadway was a huge success, even before the 2006 revival. The original run of the show was 6,137 performances, and it is still the fourth-longest running broadway show in history and the longest running show originally produced in America.

This powerhouse of theater is coming to the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse starting Aug. 19, and to a degree the show is coming home.

Auburn native Thommie Walsh was a member of the original cast of “A Chorus Line,” and the character he played, Bobby, was modeled a great deal after Walsh himself.

In the Merry-Go-Round's production, the character of Bobby is being played by another Auburn native, Todd Lattimore.

“The character is very much based on Thommie's life here in Auburn,” Lattimore said. “The character describes himself as being from upstate New York, ‘near Buffalo.' That line was changed from actually naming Auburn because no one knew where Auburn was, while pretty much everyone has heard of Buffalo and knows where that is.”

“A Chorus Line” was written from interviews with Broadway performers, as the writers sought to capture on stage the lives of dancers and actors struggling to get work and strike it big. As part of this process, Thommie Walsh's story came alive, and through the character of Bobby, audiences the world over see that tale.

“There are things from Thommie's life in that character,” Lattimore explained. “Parts about his father owning a bar, things like that.”

Lattimore himself starting acting with Merry-Go-Round at age 8, with a part in “The King and I.”

“I still remember my one line from that show,” said Lattimore. “'How is possible hard water?'”

Lattimore was involved with Merry-Go-Round for years, but this role marks his return after 17 years away.

“It's great to come back here, and especially to play a part practically created by Thommie - it's an honor.”

Lattimore graduated from the Boston Conservatory, the same school Walsh attended, and has a passion for theater. But Lattimore insists that he isn't necessarily following in Walsh's footsteps.

“By the time he was my age, Thommie already had his first Tony,” said Lattimore. “I play in some parts, take a break, play other roles. My relationship with musical theater is kind of like the mob, it never lets me out and I keep getting pulled back in. I love it, but there are also other creative outlets to pursue.”

Returning to Auburn from Massachusetts, where he lives now, has been a treat for Lattimore.

“It's kind of like a mini working reunion with my family, my friends from high school and friends who are coming to see the show,” Lattimore said. “You don't realize everything you have growing up until you come home and see it. I remember back when the Playhouse didn't have air conditioning, bathrooms, anything like that. We had to exit the building to enter from the other side of the stage. Ed and the staff have done such a great job here, updating everything and making it such a great space.”

The production of “A Chorus Line” is already receiving a lot of attention from fans. The opening show is already sold out, and the Playhouse has added another matinee to meet the demand.

“Auburn's very lucky to have MGR,” Lattimore said.

If you go

What: “A Chorus Line”

When: Premieres 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19; show times vary through Sept. 5

Where: Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Emerson Park, Route 38A, Owasco

Cost: Tickets $33 to $39

Info: Call 255-1785