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Revival is a thrilling reminder of a work whose glitter has not dimmed in 33
years
'A Chorus Line' still a sensation
By Bill Hirschman
Special Correspondent South Florida Sun-Sentinel
10:45 AM EST, February 18, 2009
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Obscured by the non-Equity tours, the mediocre film and the passing of years,
it's easy to forget just how incredibly good A Chorus Line is -- how
dazzling, how affecting -- when it's done by real pros.
Since the 2006
revival at the Broward Center is an intentionally minimally-tweaked re-creation
of the 1975 classic, you can savor this thrilling reminder of a work whose
glitter has not dimmed in 33 years.
Director Bob Avian (co-choreographer
of the original production) and choreographer Baayork Lee (the diminutive Connie
on the original line) have created a crisp, moving incarnation that must be
eliciting a warm nod of approval from late creator Michael Bennett.
The
first scenes lack a tiny bit of topspin; there's a real sense of muting and
distance. But when the show sweeps into the first psychological dissection
number, At the Ballet, everything slides into place: precise imaginative
choreography, deftly cinematic yet invisible staging, a soaring score by Marvin
Hamlisch, insightful lyrics by Ed Kleban and an underrated libretto by Nicholas
Dante and James Kirkwood.
This virtually plotless evening about 16
gypsies trying out for eight spots in a Broadway show grows stronger as the
director forces the applicants to expose their motivations for being dancers.
The resonances for the audience watching ordinary people competing for a job in
a faltering economy resound back in the balcony. These people need to put bread
on the table, but they also yearn for work in a precious profession that they
require more than oxygen.
The cast is remarkable not just for their
dancing chops, but for acting skills that create defined individuals. Note their
faces when they find out whether they have won or lost the job. Or marvel how
Kevin Santos holds the audience, minute after minute, throughout the long, long
monologue about a gay teenager whose parents discover him in a drag show. Or
relish Gabrielle Ruiz driving home the anthem What I Did for Love while
standing nearly stock still.
And truly first among equals is the gorgeous
Robyn Hurder as Cassie, who aches to return to the line after an abortive shot
at stardom. Her breathtaking The Music and the Mirror is not just an
explosive tour de force dance but vibrant acting and singing that incarnates her
exultant love for the art and the palpable hunger to participate in
it.
Bill Hirschman can be reached at
muckrayk@aol.com
Onstage
The musical A Chorus Line is scheduled through March 1 at Broward Center Au-Rene Theater, 201 SW Fifth
Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Performances 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays,
Sundays; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 and 25. $16-$65; browardcenter.org, 954-462-0222,
Ticketmaster.com, 561-966-3309, 954-523-3309, 305-358-5885