Review of "A Chorus Line"

When A Chorus Line opened 43 years ago it was a groundbreaking event.  Never before had a Broadway musical elevated the dancers comprising the chorus to star status.  With its emphasis on the character’s individual stories and the high-powered dance numbers infused into the show, A Chorus Line became a landmark production that, for many years, was the longest-running show in Broadway history.

The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical is a big show and requires actors and actresses that can sing and dance convincingly.  The production, currently running at the Ivoryton Playhouse through September 2^nd, succeeds in all counts.  It is a highly satisfying theatrical presentation that has lost none of its relevance or power over the decades.

The plot is bare-boned.  A large group of dancers are auditioning for a part in the chorus of an unnamed Broadway musical.  Through dance, song and confessional monologues the characters come to life as they are winnowed down to the final, select eight.

The book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante utilizes excerpts from soul-searching meetings the authors and original Director/Choreographer Michael Bennett facilitated with Broadway dancers.  This touch of realism, revolutionary at the time, produces moments of sheer joy, tenderness, and heartbreak.  While dance does take center stage at its core A Chorus Line is a show that succeeds by taking audience members on an emotional rollercoaster.

The score, with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban, is full of biographical numbers that are humorous as well as touching and poignant.  In addition to traditionally structured songs Hamlisch and Kleban have crafted a series of song montages that creatively blend music, lyrics and dance, which add depth and intensity to the production.

The acting troupe is composed, for the most part, of proficient performers.  There are some miscast roles and not everyone is a skilled dancer or singer.  Nonetheless, as a whole, they come across as a practiced and nimble group.  Some of the notable members of the cast include Stephanie Genito as the prideful and resilient Cassie and Ronnie S. Bowman, Jr. as the athletic and energized Richie.  Sam Given is over-the-top and very funny as Bobby; Edward Stanley is rightfully detached and demanding as the overseer Zach; and Max Weinstein is nimble and aloof as Zach’s assistant Larry.

Director/Choreographer Todd L. Underwood keeps the large cast ordered and disciplined.  There is a restrained and controlled chaos to the production with all the parts moving in precise harmony.  The choreography emulates, more often than not, the work of original dance master Michael Bennett.  The second act solo routine by the character of Cassie, an expression of prideful exuberance and one of the focal points of the musical, could have been more dynamic and compelling.

A Chorus Line, a rewarding production worth the trip to the Ivoryton Playhouse, through September 2nd.