Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Michael Bennett’s legendary, seamlessly constructed original staging of A CHORUS LINE remains a staggering achievement

• By drediman
• November 17, 2018
• No Comments

The company of New York City Center’s gala revival of “A Chorus Line”. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Arguably the headliner of New York City Center’s 75th anniversary season is the gala revival of A Chorus Line, which I caught last night. No other show in my mind is as inextricably linked to its original staging as this legendary Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, which single handedly resuscitated Broadway from irrelevance in the 1970s. Broadway hadn’t seen anything like it. In many ways, A Chorus Line – which musicalizes the real life stories of Broadway chorus dancers – paved the way for America’s fascination with reality television.

Times have changed since the mid-1970s, and what was revolutionarily frank at the time is now occasionally cringe-worthy (the book is courtesy of Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante). But it’s Michael Bennett’s masterful and laser-focused direction that has kept the show relevant and requisite viewing for any aspiring musical theater artist. To this day, the way he dynamically moves and configures his company on a mostly base stage to create austere yet indelible stage pictures is unparalleled. Indeed, after all these years, Mr. Bennett’s seamlessly constructed work, particularly the way he moves between stark, unglamorous naturalism and his dancers’ rich, impassioned inner lives, remains a staggering theatrical achievement.

This is the fifth production of A Chorus Line I’ve seen, and though it may not be at the top of my list, it’s quite a good one. But last night’s performance was especially thrilling for the way the packed auditorium responded to it. Each number was greeted and applauded with ecstatic ovation. Many had tears in their eyes throughout (including yours truly, from “a-five, six, seven, eight!”), as the company threw themselves into the musical’s iconic choreography and score (by the late, great Marvin Hamlisch). The principals were particularly fine, especially Tony Yazbeck’s passionate Zach, Leigh Zimmerman’s perfectly sultry Sheila, Robyn Hurder gorgeously sung and danced Cassie (perhaps the best I’ve seen), and Eddie Gutierrez’s refreshingly unfussy Paul.

It can be argued that choosing A Chorus Line – which has been faithfully restored here by original co-choreographer Bob Avian and original cast member Baayork Lee – for its 75th anniversary gala is a safe choice for City Center. But I nonetheless thrilled to it.

RECOMMENDED

A CHORUS LINE
Off-Broadway, Musical
New York City Center
2 hours, 10 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 18