the chorus line style of dancing was introduced in

Interspersed among the heavy themes are lighter touches, like Kristine, the dancer who could never really 'Sing,' or Mike who, being dragged along to his big sister's dance class, decided 'I Can Do That.' While we can no longer see these brilliant and brave originals on stage, the genius of the work is that their unique stories reveal universal themes: overbearing mothers, distant fathers, body image issues, closeted homosexuality, dispiriting teachers, pursing the wrongor someone else'sdream, fear of getting too old to do what you love most, and the constant anxiety over what comes next. Some of the participants took parts in the original cast. It is said that much of the dialogue in James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante's book comes word for word from those sessions.

Director and choreographer Michael Bennett famously created A Chorus Line by piecing together lengthy late-night conversations among Broadway dancers, many who had worked with or for Bennett. Rather, its unifying force is a theme, casting light on what it is that propels people to pursue their dreams, and how dreams can be an escape from nightmares.Ī Chorus Line takes place at a dance audition for a new Broadway show, during which the finalists are asked to tell how they came to be dancers, whether by choice, by default, or as a means of escape.

The book is highly literate and involving, but it does not tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. They happened to be Broadway dancers (lucky for us), but their struggles to pursue dreams at a time when opportunities seemed to be diminishing can apply to most anyone and continues to feel relevant today.Ī Chorus Line also solidified the 'concept musical' as a legitimate and gratifying variation of the form. Grease was of course a huge hit just four seasons before A Chorus Line, but where Grease dealt with nostalgia for what was viewed as a simpler time, with lines of right and wrong clearly marked, A Chorus Line dealt with the present, with all its disappointments, ambiguities and possibilities. A huge hit, it ran for 6,137 performances, setting a long-run record that surpassed the previous champ, Grease, by about 2,800 performances (roughly the entire run of Hello Dolly!).

A Chorus Line injected American musical theater with renewed vigor and relevance.

It is arguably the best showcase ever for an ensemble, while offering a platform for great individual performances.ġ975 was a time when traditional values were under tough scrutiny, with Vietnam and Watergate eroding American's belief in long-cherished institutions, including the bloated Broadway theater scene. The show that coined the phrase 'singular sensation' continues to dazzle as a masterwork of stagecraft. Review by Arthur Dorman | Season ScheduleĪlso see Arty's reviews of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Aliens, and The ArsonistsĪ Chorus Line is back, in a highly polished Ordway Music Theater production.

The chorus line style of dancing was introduced in