A Chorus Line

I think this show is dramatically underrated as it shows a glimpse of the lives of a group of young singers and dancers who are trying to get into a particular production.

The initial production of A Chorus Line opened at The Shubert Theatre on Broadway on 25 July 1975 and ran for 6,137 performances thus becoming the longest running production in the history of Broadway shows until it was surpassed by Cats in 1997, it was also the longest running Broadway musical originally produced in the US until it was surpassed in 2011 by the revival of Chicago.

In this production every single performer onstage did a superb job of portraying their respective characters, all vying for a part in the production at hand.

The director running the audition is Zach, a formidable character who tells each and every one of the participants exactly what he expects of them. Kate Shaw was perfect in this role, she managed to remain cool, calm and collected throughout the entire production, even when things were not going as expected or hoped, she remained cool.

As Zach’s assistant, Larry we saw Izzy Oliver, Larry is not a big part in so much as lines to be learned but it is an integral part to the whole show and one where he is onstage for much of the action but is not a part of it. In roles such as this it is very easy to “drift off” and lose your concentration, however this did not happen to Izzy who remained alert all through the production.

As the action moves along, we see and hear from each of the various characters who are auditioning for a role in the forthcoming production.

One by one they tell their stories about their journey through life and how they reach the stage of entering the audition process. The show starts with all the auditionees singing “I Hope I Get It” in which they are of course all stating they want to get into the show.

As we move through the show each one either sing or give a monologue of their way through their particular life and we hear such songs as I Can Do That, At the Ballet, What I Did For Love and culminating with the final number and possibly the most famous one, ONE by the entire cast.

It would be difficult to name every performer in this piece but suffice to say they are all stars in their own right and each and every one of them manage to bring their respective character to life.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this piece both on and offstage which proves that teamwork and working together really does make for a very successful production.

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