A Chorus Line
Stratford Festival 2016
Festival Theatre
Written by Michael Bennett
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Edward Kleban
Directed and choreographed by Donna
Feore
Approximate running time: 2 hours and
10 minutes (with no intervals)
May 31 -October 23
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You catch the first glimpse of dancers
lining up for their big shot at the gold ring as the chords to the opening I
hope I Get It ring
through the packed Festival Theatre. Then it starts without warning –
thunderous applause and raucous cheers of encouragement greeting the perfectly
lined cast of A Chorus Line.
Somewhere behind the curtain
director/choreographer Donna Feore must have been wringing her hands in glee,
possibly even silently singing I Can Do That to herself under her breath. It took
only a few seconds to grasp her brilliantly realized vision of Michael
Bennett’s ambiguous/multi-layered musical was about to be a hit at the
Stratford Festival.
Forty-one years ago the audacious
Bennett, aided by some of Marvin Hamlisch’s most adventurous music and Edward
Kleban’s often spicy adult-flavoured (for the times) lyrics, unveiled what was
considered by many to be a revolutionary Broadway musical.
With unabashed candor it looked
unapologetically at individual dancers looking for yet another shot to continue
their physically and emotionally demanding careers, not as stars but simply
parts of a highly regimented chorus line.
As the formidable musical director Zach
(played with a wonderful mix of authority and compassion by Juan Chioran) and
his assistant Larry (Stephen Cota) whittle down the hopefuls to the final
female/men pairings, those revealing singular revelations begin through dance
and song.
While the final line of dancers will be
a tightly knit unit, what is revealed are personalized tales – tinged with
comedy and drama – of past dysfunctional family lives, fear of failure,
discovering and dealing with one’s sexuality and grasping the reality for one
young woman that success in the business more often relies on two particular
physical female attributes (natural or bought) than sheer talent. The latter is
relayed through the brilliantly funny Dance: Ten Looks: Three,
cheekily performed by Julia McLellan’s delightful Val.
Feore proves an accomplished master of
uniting the many diverse elements of the work – from lively, oft times soulful
presentations of tunes based on characters’ personal realities to energetic,
pulsating dance numbers both physically demanding and emotionally draining and
those aggressively pursued fantasies transporting these dreamers from scenes of
domestic insecurities to wonders of the almost mythological world of ballet and
beyond.
Dayna Tietzen captures the angst-ridden
veteran Cassie, let down by both time and director/one-time lover Zach. He
tells matter-of-factly that she is too good for the chorus, while the youngest
dance hopeful Mark (Colton Curtis) coyly details his first wet dream and the
4’10” dynamo Connie (an exuberant Genny Sermonia) bemoans her lack of height.
Tormented heroines fill the stage while
a male hoofer eyes the potential of being the screen’s next Troy Donahue.
Others are simply exhausted by the prospect of never-ending chorus line tryouts
offering meagre security in packages of months or at best years, ultimately
fearing their futures.
The paradoxical reality weighs heavy on
all the tortured souls – success means trading in their individuality for the
glorious, glittery transformation into well-oiled anonymity.
Singling out particular performances
for individual praise is an unwelcomed and difficult task for any
self-respecting critic or audience member for that matter. There is no top nor
bottom to the Stratford company – an almost picture perfect ensemble of singers/dancers
trotting out gut-wrenching, crowd-pleasing performances in tireless fashion for
more than two hours without break.
It’s been slightly more than four
decades since A Chorus Line shocked, startled and delighted
audiences in New York and throughout the world. Thanks to Feore, a top-notch
cast and technical crew, the Stratford product of 2016 has lost none of the
original lustre nor power along the way. The music remains vibrant, dramatic
and comedic elements mix comfortably and multi-dimensional characters abound.
Another hugely successful Stratford
musical and a classic entry for the still young 2016 festival season that earns ««««« out of five stars.
Geoff Dale is a Woodstock-based
freelance writer.
This review originally appeared online here at The Beat Magazine.
This review originally appeared online here at The Beat Magazine.
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