I have loved A Chorus Line ever since I first saw it, in about 1977. I adore Marvin Hamlisch’s music, I enjoy its humour, and its sense of authenticity, and I love that it’s based on conversations with actual Broadway dancers. It dares to take us backstage and, instead of the glitz and glamour of the finished production, which we can witness in the song “One“, we see the real people who are auditioning to be a part of it. Their love of their art, their often-frustrating upbringings, their talent, and their desperation are all bared on the stage, creating iconic moments such as when the auditioners spread across the front of the stage, faces covered by their headshots. At the time I had never seen anything like it.
Today, the production feels very much a part of its time, but that same element of reality embraces everything about it. There is no star, there are no dazzling costumes (until the finale) and no larger-than-life moments. It’s just a bunch of dancers auditioning for a part in a show. This is a musical that takes life as it finds it, and knows that not everyone gets a happy ending. When it’s done, we know that life will go on, and those who did not make it will be auditioning for something else tomorrow.
TWODS’ show, directed by Rebecca Clow, is the product of much love and dedication from a cast that works so hard to bring those real lives to the stage. Even the comic characters, like Kristine (Megan Allaway), who protests that she can’t sing, with assistance from her husband Al (Samuel Smith) and Val (Robynne Pimblett-King), whose song is about the parts of her body that she’s had surgically enhanced, leave no doubt that this is not all fun and games. Sometimes it can be very serious indeed, as it is with Paul (Theo Beak). Paul doesn’t have a solo song, but he does have a powerful and emotional monologue about beginning his career in a drag show, and about how his parents find out about the show, and the fact that he is gay. His performance of the speech in this production is easily the most emotional that I’ve seen, by far.
A Chorus Line is an ensemble piece, there are no conventional leading roles. Maybe Zach (Tim Taylor), the director auditioning the dancers, could be considered a lead because he is running the whole thing, and his voice permeates almost every scene. Or maybe it’s Diana (Emily Price), who is the only auditioner to sing two songs, including the memorable “What I Did for Love“. Or could it be Cassie (Charlotte Timbers), who knows Zach from a previous, failed, relationship. Their history makes her the character the one the audience are most likely to root for, and Timbers, with her wonderful stage presence, superb dancing and excellent singing voice helps that happen.
If you’ve never seen A Chorus Line before, or if you’re a fan of the show like me, it’s worth the trip to see this version even with certain “technical aspects” that get in the way. One of them, unfortunately, is the sound, which frequently cuts out while characters are soloing, quite a big problem in a musical. This issue keeps distracting me from the world of the show but, as long as there’s a talented cast, and this is most definitely a talented cast, it’s hard not to be thoroughly entertained.
**** Four Stars