theatrical thoughts :: a chorus line

a chorus line
gerald schoenfeld theatre :: new york, ny
attended :: november 7, 2006

months ago when i purchased my ticket to see the remounted production of 'a chorus line' - i was beside myself with glee and thought - 'my god - november can't get here quick enough'. boy was i wrong - november got here quicker than ever (ps - what the hell happened to summer?) and last night was the night i had been waiting for.

in my true fashion - i was running late. a work meeting kept me later than i wanted - so at about 7:15 i bolted over to meet my companions at john's pizzeria on 44th street for a quick makers on the rocks and headed to the show.

it's rare that i ever pay full price for any tickets to shows - this was an exception. $111 for seats in the balcony - wow - it does cost a lot to support the arts - haha. it was a hundred million degrees in the theatre. fun right?

so far so - eh.

the lights dim - you see the cast quietly hand in hand walk across 'the line' - the mirrors spin around - and the show's famous first line - 'again!' - is uttered and off they go with a running start (or a ballet leap) - regardless - flawless. instant chills. the dancing was spot on and the energy was amazing.

eliminations begin and the dancers on the line are reduced down to 17. now - this is where the audience can really take a good look at the leads of the show. if the director of the show (bob avian) intended this to happen - i don't know - but here on the line - were 17 plain people. none of them particularly stunning (don't get me wrong - there are some hotties in the cast) - none of them stood out - it was as if they went out of the way to cast 'bland' people.

because bland-looking people generally give bland performances - this is exactly what happened. suddenly and without warning - the show just took a nose dive. nothing had changed from the original production - so there really wasn't a lot to keep the audience interested in what was going on. some of the better numbers performed by the ensemble were 'at the ballet' and 'hello twelve...' - but individually - the cast fell apart.

very weak performances by charlotte d'amboise (cassie - wasn't strong enough in the roll - she didn't connect with the audience enough to make us feel sorry for her situation - and for christ's sake - 'the music and the mirror' dance break has always been about two and a half minutes too long) - jessica lee goldyn (val - for having tits and ass she had a lot of 'fat' everywhere else - should could have milked it a little more and belted to the hills - just simply a bad casting decision) - and natalie cortez (diana - had potential if she didn't sing in the back of her throat) - while others shined above them all - jason tam (paul - absolutely flawless execution of the 'drag' monologue) - mara davi (maggie - so perky - eyes on her the entire time - great voice - great energy) - and deidre goodwin (sheila - absolutely perfect for the role - one of the more solid entertainers on the stage).

the closing number was - as always - visually spectacular. again - the ensemble was solid - individually is where the cast fell flat.

i'd recommend this show to anyone who truly loves the show/movie - but keep in mind - nothing has changed - it's pretty much the same experience to watch it on your tv - and with that - you can at least pause to pee or get a drink - 'a chorus line' on broadway is performed without an intermission! and whatever you do - just don't pay full price for your ticket.

thanks to manna for the inspiration and thoughts that added to this post. lol - we usually see it eye to eye!

buy the cd from amazon.com - a chorus line :: the new broadway cast recording