West Hartford teacher gets the tour with Broadway star

WEST HARTFORD – The writing was on the wall back in high school.

When Sara Chase was a student at Kingswood Oxford, she immersed herself in the creative arts:

She sang with the Concert Chorus, the Madrigals, and Graffiti (a vocal jazz group). She had the lead in the musical for all four years. And she was named "Most Theatrical" when she graduated from KO in 2000.

"I always predicted to my colleagues that someday she would be on Broadway," said Richard

Chiarappa, KO's Director of Orchestras – one of Chase's two favorite teachers of all time, according to an interview she gave to Broadway.com.

Chiarappa's prediction came true, and earlier this month, Chase – the daughter of Sandra and Arnold Chase of West Hartford -- gave her former teacher a backstage tour of Broadway's Longacre Theater, where she is starring as Grandma Ida in the romantic comedy, "First Date."

"It's a very 'now' show, very contemporary and really funny!" said Chiarappa, who also directs the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra, which often performs at KO"s Roberts Theater. "It's a real kick seeing one of our own up there in lights."