On Tuesday, we went to The Lowry, Salford to see A Chorus Line. Read what our reviewer Christa Norton thought about this wonderful production...
A Chorus Line has been on my musical bucket list of years, so I was incredibly excited to have the chance to see this new production coming to The Lowry. For me – and I suspect for many others - it is the story behind the show which makes this musical so iconic.
The inspiration behind A Chorus Line stems from a series of interviews conducted by choreographer and director Michael Bennett. With a successful career in theatre, having choreographed hits like Promises, Promises and Follies, Bennett was well-acquainted with the intense competition, scrutiny and lack of job security in the industry. He also saw the hundreds of incredibly talented dancers seeking to make it on stage every year and recognised the richness of their stories. He decided to create a musical that captured the experiences not of the stars, but of the backing dancers, who face a life of auditions, rejections, and fleeting successes.
So, in 1974, Bennett gathered a group of dancers in New York City for a marathon recording session. They discussed their lives, aspirations, and challenges in the world of dance. These candid conversations revealed incredible stories of personal sacrifices and unwavering dedication – not to mention remarkable talent - that define a dancer's life, and provided the raw material that became the musical's script and lyrics.
The show itself then centres – as you might expect - on a group of dancers auditioning for a spot in the chorus line of a new Broadway show. Looking to try and understand more about the dancers in front of him, director Zach – played with an unexpected emotional intensity by the glorious Adam Cooper (Billy Elliott, The Red Shoes, Singing in the Rain) - asks each of the dancers to introduce themselves and share their backgrounds: it is through these interactions that we learn about their lives, struggles, and aspirations.
Key characters include Cassie, a former featured dancer and Zach's ex-lover who now just wants to enjoy dancing; Mike, who discovered his love for dance at a young age; Sheila, an experienced dancer nearing the end of her career; and Paul, who reveals a poignant story about his troubled childhood and journey to self-acceptance.
Throughout the musical, various themes are explored through the dancers' stories. The challenges of a career in the theatre are a central theme, highlighting the constant pressure not just to perform but to conform to a certain look, not to mention the financial insecurity and lack of long term career prospects. But the script delves deeper: characters reflect on the personal sacrifices they have made for their careers, such as strained family relationships and missed life opportunities; the themes of identity, sexuality, self-acceptance, societal acceptance and the longing for a sense of belonging are woven throughout their narratives.
In the end, Zach acknowledges that all the dancers are excellent but – as is the nature of the industry – selects just 8 of the original 17 for the job.
This is a show that demands so much from its cast – but this production delivers in spades. The calibre of the singing, the dancing, the acting is some of the best I have ever seen, delivered by an outstandingly talented cast.
Redmand Rance (Barbie, Snow White, Disenchanted) as Mike Costa sets the bar at an almost impossibly high standard with the first story of the night ‘I can do that’. His dancing is just sublime, moving though jazz, ballet, modern and tap, my eyes were glued to his entire routine, he is gorgeous to watch.
Likewise Carly Mercedes Dyer’s (West Side Story, Anything Goes, Dreamgirls) passionate Cassie is an exquisite performance, one I keep replaying in my mind. She has a knock out voice, filling the whole theatre, and she gives a powerful performance of ‘The Music and the Mirror’ that for me is one of the highlights. This production combines that song with a stunning piece of choreography which offers Dyer the freedom to own the stage and demonstrate just how amazing a dancer she is.
Jocasta Almgill’s (West Side Story, Wicked, Chicago) Diana Morales is another powerhouse performance and again her sonorous voice easily fills the theatre; her interpretation of ‘Nothing’ is deeply moving whilst her passionate performance of ‘What I did for love’ provides a fitting emotional climax for the show.
One thing I love about this show however is that it is not all big solos – there is a huge variety in the different performances offered, from big jazz numbers through to monologues. For example, the first audience cheer of the night came for Joshua Lay (Matilda the Musical, Funny Girl, Blitz) and Katie Lee (Billy Elliot the Musical, Les Miserables, High Society) playing Al Deluca and Kristine Urich/Deluca respectively. Their duet, ‘Sing’ requires a huge amount of interplay and co-ordination between the singers as they finish each other’s sentences; their seamless performance was both witty and very sweet to watch.
I absolutely have to mention Manuel Pacific’s (Millie Inbetween, Find me in Paris, Ride) exceptionally moving performance of Paul San Marco. His is a monologue – a moment of relative silence amongst the big hitting set pieces. Pacific brings a quiet dignity to the role, makes clear the sacrifice that the industry can demand. I felt that the audience held its breath the whole time he was talking, a moment of silent electricity.
In a cast full of excellent performances, I also thoroughly enjoyed Chloe Saunders’ (Bonnie & Clyde, Elf the Musical) breast-obsessed performance of Val Clarke as well as Toby Seddon’s (Sweeny Todd, Evita, The Nutcracker) gloriously camp performance of Bobby Mills.
I was really impressed with the thought and consideration that had gone into the staging. Traditionally, A Chorus Line does have a bare, minimalist stage to help keep the focus on the dancers. In this production, a series of mirrors line set up at the back of the stage create that sense of a dance studio, but they are curved; this means that for example in Dyer’s dance sequence in ‘The Music and the Mirror’, we can see her from all angles: every move, every expression of her body is reflected to the audience, making the sequence all the more beautiful to watch. However for me, the real standout of the staging was the introduction of a live camera feed broadcast to a large screen on the left hand of the stage. For me this works brilliantly and brought a whole new perspective. Ashley-Jordan Packer’s Larry walks in and amongst the dancers with the camera as part of the audition, giving them the opportunity to break the fourth wall. It’s a great way to help bring out some of their private thoughts, worries, concerns and land those with the audience in what is a very busy script. I loved being able to see the dancers’ faces up close, it really helped define them individually. I also enjoyed the sense of reality TV that it brought to the production – I had never considered A Chorus Line to be a forerunner of X Factor before!
The musicians are excellent. Hidden for most of the time yet still present on stage and clearly having a huge amount of fun with a score that revels in its 70s vibe. It’s an incredibly mercurial score – one moment 1950s Big Band jazz, the next moment pure Disco, yet the musicians under the fabulous direction of Matthew Spalding, drive the twists and turns of beat with ease and make the whole score feel seamless.
I must admit to being a little apprehensive at 1 hour and 50 minutes without an interval, but the quality of this production is just so high, I barely noticed it and certainly think any break in the production would have broken what is a truly magical spell. Some of the topics covered and language used mean this is not ideal for younger children but otherwise this is an impeccable, jazz hands aplenty production with a cast that absolutely deserve to be in the limelight; our performance received a very well deserved standing ovation from the whole house and is without a doubt the best possible night for anyone needing a bit of Broadway in their life!
A Chorus Line is on at The Lowry, Salford until Saturday 27th July 2024.
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