Theater review: A Chorus Line

by John Garcia of John Garcia's The Column

"God, I hope I get it, I hope I get it! How many people does he need? How many people does he need? God, I hope I get it! I hope I get it! How may boys, how many girls, How many boys, how many ... Look at all the people, at all the people, How many people does he need? How many boys, how many girls?" -- Lyrics to opening number of A Chorus Line.

Auditions. One of the words in a performer's vocabulary that generates a mine field of emotions. No matter whom you are or what you are auditioning for, it is a psychological, emotional, and physical rollercoaster ride that ends two ways as you exit the ride. One is you clutching your photograph of excitement of surviving the audition and getting the call you got cast. The other is you throwing up or screaming, "I will never do that again!" But then there you are the following week, back on that sickening carnival ride, hoping this time the outcome will be better.

Big stars of film, stage, and television have told endless stories of their audition horrors. Some even have it in their contracts that they "do not audition," but instead take meetings.

You never know what will happen at those auditions. You can walk out of an audition with the adrenaline that you nailed that audition, and you don't even get that golden ticket of a callback. Or you leave the audition feeling like you just displayed the worst of your talents, and you end up getting cast.

There are other factors that go into the mishmash besides talent. It is how you look physically. Too short. Too tall. Too fat. Too thin. Not the "right" ethnicity. You don't match with the other actors being considered for the other roles. You could be paired with a weak audition partner, thus dragging you down with them into the reject pile. Or your partner outshines you and leaves you in the dust.

Then there are the politics. No one would admit to such a thing as theatre politics, but they do exist. Sometimes they may work in your favor, other instances not. Luck of the draw my friend.

I have been an actor since the age of 5. So I have tour buses loaded with personal audition horrors-and those precious glories as well. But the demented and twisted mind I have within my cranium prefers to remember the horrors. Someone call Dr. Phil … now!

It is at an audition in which A Chorus Line takes place. We are at a vacant Broadway theatre that is holding auditions to cast 4 and 4 (4 boys, 4 girls) for a new musical.

I am not a dancer by any means -- no comments from the peanut gallery, thank you. Instead I consider myself a great "mover." I can do a sizzling jazz square/step-ball-change combo with pristine Fosse hands.

But the material for ACL speaks to all performers within the theatre family. Actors. Singers. Dancers. It resonates on so many personal and professional levels within this strange, loving artistic tribe we all live in.

Actually both the lyrics and book do speak to everyone, even those outside of theater. It's about reaching for your dreams, to taking that risk, that chance -- the unknown -- and you will either succeed or fail. It's about family and how they affected your path to your own life, speed bumps and all.

If you don't know the show at all, well, first of all you need to be taken to the woodshed for a good spanking for not knowing that. But avoid at all costs the ugly, detestable 1985 film version that is baffling because of the garbage they created in regards to the changes and cuts with the material. I'm still in therapy over that added number they did called "Surprise" in the film.

To really know the history of this musical, head on over to your local Cineplex and view the phenomenal documentary titled Every Little Step. This powerful, brutally honest documentary takes you on a history lesson of the original version where it also follows various performers as they go through the audition process for the 2006 Broadway revival.

I have seen so many productions of ACL. I have attended everything from regional equity productions to community theatre versions of Michael Bennett's legendary musical. I sat and observed several national tours that came through the various cities I was in at the time. My last time to see it live on stage was the actual 2006 Broadway revival, the very production the documentary Every Little Step focuses on!

The one common problem that I have seen in some productions is not using Bennett's choreography, but instead creating their own. Now for the hundreds of other musicals, I have no issue with that. But for ACL, you must have Bennett's iconic, brilliant, and dazzling choreography. The second you hear those oh so familiar piano notes from the pit and a voice shouting "Again," you already know various sections of that choreography. I mean, they even say it in the lyrics. "Pivot. Step. Walk. Walk. Walk." When I've seen versions with totally different choreography, it just doesn't look or feel right, but instead has an awkward and unbalanced feeling, like a train going right off its tracks.

I still never grow tired of the musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. Okay, so it does have at times that "'70s vibe" within its musicality, but I have no issues with it. So many of those songs still strike right at the heart-such as "Kiss Today Goodbye," "At the Ballet," and "Nothing." It is the book and lyrics that flood into my various senses that generate those powerful emotions that we as performers have gone through in auditioning -- both on stage and off!

It is so much more than just about "dancing." It exposes families (good and bad), our insecurities, fears, hopes, dreams, and the dark secrets that all of us have or have had in our lives.

You can relate to one or more character that is on the line. For me, it's a combo platter of "Connie" (4"10! 4"10!); "Paul" and "Diana Morales." Connie -- well, the whole height issue of course. As for the other two, well they are Latinos; one discusses family reactions to his life while the other had a cruel, vicious acting teacher. Mine was during my college days. He fed into my insecurities like a demented "Seymour" pouring chunks of my soul like raw meat into his own monster version of "Audrey II." Even today at times at an audition, his razor sharp remarks he made about my talents during those days will scream in my head. Did anyone get Dr. Phil on the line yet?

This all leads to last night's opening night of the national tour of A Chorus Line that is currently housed at the Music Hall at Fair Park and being put on by Dallas Summer Musicals.

Let's get out of the way what I consider the only "minor" glitch in last night's performance, which were the tempos of several numbers. I have both the original and '06 revival CD scores, and my ear has sat through over 30 productions of ACL that I have seen in my lifetime. So my ears were noticing that some tempos were rushed in bizarre fashion or got behind the vocals. Such as "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen," "I Can Do That," and "At the Ballet." It sounded bizarre and out of sync on how fast the tempos got in these numbers. Or the orchestra seemed to fall behind the soloists in some sections. Strange.

Even if you have seen various incarnations of ACL, it is this national tour now at Dallas Summer Musicals that is the definite version you need to see. Why? Several reasons.

(1) It is directed by Bob Avian, who won the Tony Award for co-choreographing the original Broadway production. He worked side by side as a "brother" to Director Michael Bennett. They would collaborate again for Dreamgirls. Their long professional and personal history is splattered all over this production. He knows the original front and back, so with genius strokes of direction, he has recreated in marvellous detail and attention to the emotions and subtext the musical demands.

(2) The staging and choreography is by Baayork Lee. She originated the role of "Connie" (i.e. "peanut on point"). Her history to both Avian and Bennett goes back so many years. Lee danced along with Donna McKechnie (the original "Cassie") the mod, '60s number "Turkey Lurkey Time" from Bennett's Promises, Promises. For this national tour (as with the 2006 Broadway revival) Lee has beautifully restaged the original blocking and movement for the musical.

From my great seat in the Music Hall I was able to see gorgeous, intimate moments within the staging that were layered in subtext, the lines, the "picture windows," and emotion is all there in its original content.

But then there's that fantastic choreography that Lee has masterfully re-created from Bennett and Avian. As I live I will never grow tired of see those iconic Bennett movements in so many of those numbers.

So you have these two masters and originators from the original Broadway production helming this tour. You won't see that happen again in our lifetime. So anyone who has never seen ACL or has seen it, it is this tour that you need to see for yourself on why it became Bennett's magnificent classic.

But to have that eye-popping, athletic, dynamic choreography danced by a stage full of amazing talented dancers -- well, what else do you need to rush and get a ticket?!

This entire company all delivers exemplary performances. Talk about triple threats there! As a full cast, they brought the house down in several numbers, including "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen;" "I Hope I Get It;" "One;" and the heart tugging "What I Did for Love." They danced so superbly, you know Bennett's spirit was off stage right beaming with pride.

But there are several on the line that had that added special something that made them stand out from this already outstanding cast.

Bryan Knowlton delivered a brutally honest, emotional, and transcendent performance as "Paul." What made his gut wrenching monologue incomparable and so special was how he added this marvelous child like innocence and humor to it. I've never seen any previous "Paul" do it like this, thereby truly making it original, personal, and powerful.

In the Every Little Step documentary, the production team just cannot find the right actor to portray "Paul." The actor who finally does get the role did indeed have a superb call-back with the monologue. But when I saw him in New York at that performance, he was not really "in the moment." It lacked that subtext.

Mr. Knowlton by far outshines him in this performance. The subtext is there all within his acting. He leads the audience with dignity and honesty through his journey with laughter, but when he breaks down at the end with his eyes welling up in tears, you just so much want to run on stage and hug him to ease his pain. In the darkness of the Music Hall you could hear several sniffles and tissues being passed around. Mr. Knowlton's performance is not to be missed here.

Emily Fletcher portrays "Sheila," who is going to be 30. And she's happy about that. Really happy. First of all, this woman is drop dead gorgeous. She is a tall drink of champagne with legs that go on forever. Her sultry and beautiful features are framed with luxurious hair in hues of gold and red. Ms. Fletcher oozes so much sex appeal I'm surprised the fire alarms did not go off in the music hall.

Ms. Fletcher nails down the stone cold heart of "Sheila" perfectly. But she also allows those stone walls to crumble, revealing the painful childhood and life she's had. The way she sang her lyrics in "At the Ballet," you felt every twinge of pain from her performance.

But even when she was not the "focus" of a scene, she was still so much in character, from the opening number right down to the final cut. I could not stop taking my eyes off her splendid performance.

Getting some of the best laughs of the night was Mindy Dougherty as "Val," the flat-chested, ugly duckling who went to the wizard on Park and 73rd and went back to auditions looking like a blonde goddess. What I just loved so much about her performance was the fresh, hysterical new approach she took with "Dance Ten, Looks Three."

She added new lyric interpretations and vocal inflections that made the song so much funnier than what I have seen in many past productions. But now add her hilarious facial expressions and body movements -- well, you have an unrivaled performance by Ms. Dougherty.

The role of "Cassie" was molded after Bennett's muse and future wife, Donna McKechnie. Having read her autobiography (and personally meeting her when she performed her terrific one woman show with Lyric Stage), and the many books on ACL.

Many of the arguments between "Zach" and "Cassie" actually occurred between Bennett and McKechnie. Donna really did go to Los Angeles to make it into films and TV, but never really succeeding.

Robyn Hurder now has the difficult task to tackle this very demanding role. Like I said, the role was created with McKechnie's impeccable talents. The way she could belt out big notes even after doing a long, prolonged dance number. There was the way she transformed her body into dance in ways no dancer could. But guess what? Ms. Hurder pulls it off with her own awesome abundance of talent. She dances the athletic and very demanding "Magic and the Mirror" with elegance, sensuality, and sheer athleticism. Vocally she has a first rate soprano voice that belts out to the very back of the Music Hall with not a hint of a crack or struggle.

Her acting tools for the emotional and dramatic fight with "Zach" were full of raw savage anger, pain, loss, and fear. You honestly felt her desperation and fear of never working again. Her defiance on how she just wants to return to the stage-no matter where it is. Ms. Hurder exuviates the layers of subtext to deliver a stunning performance.

Two terrific laugh getters of the evening were Ian Liberto as "Bobby" and Alex Ringler as "Greg." Both performers had first rate comedic timing, delivery, and pace that made their monologues annihilated the audience in laughter.

Rebecca Riker as "Diana Morales" provides the best singing voice within the cast. Her two big solos both were grand slam, home run hits last night. She delivered just the right amount of shameful pathos and stands her ground in "Nothing." But then wins the entire audiences' heart with the touching ballad, "What I Did for Love." I particularly enjoyed watching the non-communication and underlying subtext of support and love Riker and Bryan Knowlton (Paul) had between them throughout the evening. She was marvelous.

Also delivering stand out performances include Derek Hanson as "Don;" Colt Prattes as "Al;" Liza B. Domingo as "Connie;" Anthony Wayne as "Ritchie;" Bethany Moore as "Judy Turner;" and David Hull as "Mark."

As I stated earlier, this is THE version of A Chorus Line that you must see. You have priceless history on this tour with two of its original participants directing, staging, and choreographing this tour. So you literally see Bennett's vision there on stage shown in such great respect and love. All danced, sang, and acted by a tour de force cast.

GRADE: A+

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