A Chorus Line

I was looking forward to the Festival’s production of A Chorus Line & was not disappointed. The singing was fantastic, the dancing was good to superb, the staging was solid (if not inventive) & the orchestra was excellent. No wigs or elaborate costumes to distract from the emotional core of the piece until the gold lame & sequins hit the stage for the big finale.Donna Feore handles a large cast well – each performer comes across as a distinct character – even those who merely dance in the audition scene than opens the show. Nearly 20 men & women on the stage at one time who kick-ball-change, jette, spin at the same time without bumping into each other. Fast paced, dynamic & tireless while also singing, doing monologues and projecting without pulling focus – amazing & breathtaking work.The emotional substance of the text is still relevant today even with the advances in gay rights people coming out are still being rejected by their families. But at the time these were brave words to present on stage. To pick out a particular monologue or performer is unfair as each of the performers give satisfying & real performances. As the text covers a wide range of types I was somewhat disappointed there were no lesbian show girls.I did enjoy Ayrin Mackie as Shelia & Matt Alfano as Mike. Matt’s tap routine was, for me, one of the solo dance highlights of the show. The choreography was solid, much of it dictated by the actual text so Donna was somewhat constrained & as such the dancing was of the early 70’s period when the show was first produced. Stalwart as opposed to inventive. The one routine that didn’t work for me was Cassie’s big number: a five minute routine that seemed like twenty. There was more energy in the music & lighting than in the steps – what it needed was a dash of Travis Wall (So You Think You Can Dance?) to elevate it. What I Did For Love was sublime & there was crying in the aisles.This is one singular production that I would highly recommend. The other Festival productions I saw this season are: A Little Night Music: http://wp.me/p1RtxU-1Rn; The Hypochondriac: http://wp.me/p1RtxU-1X6