A Chorus Line

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

A Chorus Line originally opened on Broadway July 25, 1975 at the Shubert Theatre, and ran until April 28, 1990 with a total of 6,137 performances under its belt. This astonishing show gleaned nine Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for taking an audience inside the minds and hearts of the Broadway gypsies, the dancers who have to dance because it is in their blood, who audition show after show, after show, competing with hundreds of others just like them for a few coveted spots, who desperately need a job, to pay rent, to eat, to dance.

The final cut stand on line in Town Hall Arts Center’s production of A Chorus Line.

Littleton’s Town Hall deserves high kudos for producing A Chorus Line, even if it is a watered-down version.

A Chorus Line didn’t come from a pipe dream or inflated imagination. It came from the heart of Michael Bennett who not only originally directed and choreographed the show, but spent hours interviewing Broadway dancers. James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante wrote the Book. Marvin Hamlisch composed the music and Edward Klieban wrote the lyrics.

For Littleton’s Town Hall, Michael Gorman directed and choreographed the current production. Gorman played Bobby in the original Broadway production, directed and choreographed National touring companies of the show, and is involved in the Broadway revival scheduled to open September 21, 2006 after a summer try-out at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.

This production features 25 actor/singers, which is no small “feat” for the small stage, but they make it work. With a set designed by Stuart Barr, there are moments when it seems the dancers are dancing on top of each other. The auditions do take place in a dance studio with the huge mirror across the back reflecting not only the dancers, but the audience as well. This gives the distinct sense the stage if more crowded then it actually is.

Auditions are run by Zach played by Ken Paul, and his dance captain Larry, played by Aaron Quintana. It is their job to choose from this mass of dancers four men and four women for a particular show. Under the musical direction of Martha Yordy, the presence of a live combo featuring Frank Valdez, piano, Travis Yamamoto, piano, Nick Gnojek. Drums, and Christopher Beers, drums definitely add to the musical excitement.

While Zach and Larry put the mass of dancers through their paces, individual dancers are spotlighted to tell their stories.

In a monotone that works well for part of the show, Zach asks them to talk about themselves, to say whatever they want to.

Mike (Phillip Martin) admits how others called him “Twinkle Toes,” and how he never liked that. Bobby (Robert Riney) talks about coming from a family with money with no taste. Sheila (Rachael Miller) oils her way through oozing sex appeal to ply Zach, which doesn’t work. He wants her to let her hair down, but even when she removes the pins, the snobiness remains. She has a body dancers would die for, and doesn’t dare let anyone forget it. Sheila stands out, which is, after all her intention. Relating a difficult child hood, she softens while singing everything was beautiful “At The Ballet.”

Kristine (Keri Blunt) becomes tongue-tied and needs prompting from her new husband Al (Scott McLean). One of the stunning highlights of the show comes with the playing back and forth between Al and Kristine. The timing between the two is deliciously on target.

One of the strongest voices comes from Katie Wieland who plays Maggie, a Puerto Rican who presented insightful and believable revelations through “digging down to the bottom of my soul” relating her struggles in an acting class. She just couldn’t grasp how ice cream felt when the class instructor asked for it.

Matt Gottlieb plays Richie who dances hard, sings strong, hides his desperation with a broad smile.

Juan Carlos “JC” Rivas plays Butch who calls himself Paul. He comes from a close family, but balks when asked about why his sister died. He doesn’t want to talk about it. He wants to be someone new. He didn’t know how to be a boy, and knew he was gay, and under the stress falls apart. Under the monotone of Zach, compassion stands along side the tension beginning to erupt between Cassie (Adrianne Hampton) and Zach.

She’s desperate for a job. She hasn’t worked in two years. Zach, at one time, pulled her out of the chorus to make her a star, but it didn’t work. She’s a dancer. He has to look failure in the face, and he rides her hard. He doesn’t want to admit she fits in with the chorus, and he wants to prove himself right. The tension between Cassie and Zach exist through the words but the electricity between them doesn’t crackle with depth that is wanted.

The wonderful A Chorus Line music is there, the choreography shines, although not always as sharp and clean, as it wants to be. There are moments when it appears the dancers should be in synchronization and aren’t, which may have to do with space. There are times when voices have to reach for notes that temporarily elude them.

There is no question this is a bright, intelligent talented cast, but something is missing from this production. Experience. For some their arms aren’t long enough to reach into their being to express desperation. It is no small trick to hang onto the dancer’s smile and at the same time show the desperation for a job set deep into their eyes. It needs to show these are people with a passion who ache for a job so badly they can taste it. Rejection for them doesn’t mean “oh, well, better luck next time.” It means their lives, their future, their entire sense of self worth, they’re having to admit maybe their passion isn’t strong enough to contain or sustain them. With a couple of exceptions, that element doesn’t exist. This young talented cast is being asked to reach for something beyond their young experience. McLean captures it with his eyes mixing hurt, pain and hope all together, while Al maintains a critical sense of professional attitude. In the long chorus line, it is McLean’s eyes that stand out demanding attention.

It isn’t that the cast doesn’t have the heart to go beyond a group of gypsies out on a lark, but their experience doesn’t dig deep enough for them to project the depth of heart required to provide the full birth of all that is behind this audition.

The transformation at the very end, which always takes the breath away with an instantaneous switch to glitter and gold, falls flat in this production, with a huge sense of disappointment. The “singular sensation” falls into a multitude of independent bows without the zap. On the surface, it looks good, but for the discerning eye, the production loses the impact A Chorus Line wants to emphasize. For those who have never seen the show, they will enjoy it without knowing what it really is all about; they will hear great music, some good sound dancing. They will see a glimmer of a variety of personalities, but they will miss the depth, heart and soul of desperate people going out on a limb for their passion. The younger members of the cast have no clue what it means to be desperate to follow their dream, desperate for a paycheck, desperate to work, because they haven’t been there.