After a round of cuts, 17 dancers remain. Every dancer is desperate for work ("I Hope I Get It"). The formidable director Zach and his assistant choreographer Larry put the 24 dancers through their paces. The show opens during an audition for an upcoming Broadway production. It began a lengthy run in the West End in 1976 and was revived on Broadway in 2006, and in the West End in 2013. A Chorus Line 's success has spawned many successful productions worldwide. It remains the seventh longest-running Broadway show ever. The original Broadway production ran for 6,137 performances, becoming the longest-running production in Broadway history until surpassed by Cats in 1997, and the longest-running Broadway musical originally produced in the US, until surpassed in 2011 by the revival of Chicago. An unprecedented box office and critical hit, the musical received twelve Tony Award nominations and won nine, in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A Chorus Line provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer, as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers.įollowing several workshops and an Off-Broadway production, A Chorus Line opened at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway July 25, 1975, directed by Michael Bennett and co-choreographed by Bennett and Bob Avian. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. While a bit cliché, the love story between the dancer and producer added a nice personal touch to the characters without taking away the real message of the show.Īnd Berklund played a smart, romantic, feeling casting director, openly showing his struggle between his love for and exhaustion from the craft.A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. Molly Tynes offered an even performance as Cassie, balancing her love story with Zack, played by Tom Berklund, with her desire to once again perform. Her rendition of “What I Did For Love” was heartfelt and passionate. Katrina Asmar shined as Diana Morales, the wannabe actress who flunked out of improv class. Herb Johnson III, who played Richie, had a brief vocal and dance solo in one of the montage numbers.While the solo itself wasn’t long, he captured the audience’s attention, and from there on out every time he was moving all eyes were on him.Īfter a split jump during said solo, for example, he received a raucous applause. Interestingly enough, one of the best dancers on stage had one of the smallest parts. 13: BCA Agent Says Potter Didn't Test Taser On Day Of Daunte Wright ShootingĪnd when used, the mirrors gave the audience a 360 view of their ability.
The simplicity of the execution left nothing but the rawness of the lyrics and realness of the dancer’s skill as the focus. With the actor playing the casting director sitting in the audience for most of the show, it truly did feel like an audition process as the actors on stage fidgeted ever so slightly while waiting their turn. Much like how it is during a real audition. Without bold sets, bright lights and big props, the actors are left to their own devices to tell the story.
While sparse, it is this emptiness that really allows the rawness of the dancers’ stories to resonate. The set is equally as simple, just a stage with a set of mirrors used at intervals throughout the show.Īt the end there are a few more lights that act as a backdrop to the chorus line, but the majority of the show is just the bare stage. During the process, they show off their dancing skills as well as share their stories of what lead them to dance. The 25 dancers are auditioning for a Broadway show. It features a cast of 26 - 25 dancers and one casting director. The show itself tells an uncomplicated story. “A Chorus Line,” which opened Tuesday, Feb.