Text size:

'Chorus Line' still a sensation

By Matt Windman

October 5, 2006

Dancers' lives are the subject of A CHORUS LINE. (Newsday/ARI MINTZ)

The top hats and gold spandex suits look the same. Each step, kick, turn and kick-turn seems to be in place. The orchestrations still command a brass, rhythmic drive. The choral anthem, "What I Did for Love," still brings tears. It even has the original creative team's stamp of approval -- at least those who are still alive. And, of course, it ends with that glorious Rockette kickline.

But is it fair to regard the new Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line" as a mere photocopy of the original long-running production?

Even if the show's script, score and staging have not changed, the real world around "A Chorus Line" is different. Breast implants are no longer shocking, nor is a comedy song called "Tits and Ass." Paul's "Jewel Box Revue" monologue, where he confesses his shame over being gay, now feels uncomfortably dated. And most of the new cast wasn't even alive when the show premiered in 1975.

But contrary to popular opinion, "A Chorus Line" is not dated. Even though references to Steve McQueen and Robert Goulet abound and the orchestrations often retreat into a disco beat, the musical's heart and soul lie in the dancer's timeless desire to find inner life away from the confusing, disheartening real world.

The show may open with the gritty realism and jungle mentality of a demanding dance audition. But soon enough it segues into the performers' metaphysical dreamscapes and unrequited emotions. In fact, the show's irony lies in how these creative individuals desperately vie for spots on a chorus line of cheery, bland anonymity that is meant only to back up a star performer that we never get to see.

Bob Avian has carefully restored Michael Bennett's staging. As a concept musical, Bennett's choreography is even more central to the show's success than Marvin Hamlisch's score -- easily the best work of his career -- or James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante's book, which probes an inner mentality that few musicals have ever conquered.

We could spend days contrasting the revival's performers with the originals. But the 19 actors that make up the current ensemble are collectively divine and well cast.

There may come a time when Broadway is ready for a visually reconceived "Chorus Line." But for now, this revival is a singular sensation in every capacity. Theatergoing doesn't get much better than this.

Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W 45th St, 212-239-6200, $86.25-$111.25. Tue 8pm, Wed 2 & 8pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 3pm. Open run.