By Kristen Weyer.
Gateway Playhouse has opened its 2018 season with A Chorus Line, directed and choreographed by Mitzi Hamilton. This classic favorite with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, first opened in 1975. It received immediate acclaim, and has won nine Tony awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, seven Drama Desk awards, the New York Critics’ Circle award and the Olivier Award. It became the longest running show in Broadway history, until 1997 when it was exceeded by Cats. With drama and humor, poignant emotion and enjoyable dance numbers, there is something for everyone, keeping generations of audiences coming back for more.
A Chorus Line is exactly what it sounds like. It is 1975 and seventeen hopeful dancers are at an audition on an empty Broadway stage. Why? ‘Cause God they really need this job. But as it turns out, ‘How’, is the real question. How did they all come to be here? How did they begin dancing in the first place? How did this become their life? Through the grueling physical and emotional audition process, we are given glimpses into these dancers’ pasts and how they became who they are.
Every member of this talented cast brings their own unique flair to their character. These are challenging roles requiring fully developed characterization, with frequent subtly and nuance of manner. Much of the action in this show is performed while standing in a line on the stage with minimal to no set. As the show takes place on a theater stage much embellishment is unneccesary, though the rotating mirror panels are a nice touch.
Beautiful voices, fun dancing and true believable emotion come from every angle. The characters run the personality gambit from the snooty Sheila (Kate Loprest) to the adorable Judy (Danielle Burdick), the young Mark (David Grindrod), and the short but feisty Connie (Tiffany Chalothorn). Some of the most memorable moments include the emotional chemistry between Victor Wisehart as Zach and Sabrina Harper as Cassie, the impressive range of Michael Canada as Richie, and the humorous duet of “Sing!” with Julia Lynn Sammon and Nick Varricchio as Kristine and Al. The rest of this impressive cast consists of: Larry (Matthew J. Kilgore), Don (Lance E. Hayes), Maggie (Jackie Raye), Mike (Mike D’Amico), Greg (Robb Gibbs), Bobby (Kyle White), Bebe (Erika Conaway), Val (Amanda Miller), Paul (Eddie Gutierrez), Diana (Alexandra Fassler-Barrus), Tricia (Monica Cioffi), Victoria (Cait Crowley), Roy (Nick Raynor), Frank (Nicholas Steven King), Tom (Craig First), and Lois (Diana Princi).
An entertaining evening of classic musical theater, A Chorus Line is a pleasurable start to Gateway’s new season. And I fore warn you, it will be nearly impossible to stop humming that Broadway favorite “One Singular Sensation”.