This was the last show of The Palace Theatre’s season, and I have to say it’s been a pretty great one this year. The only clunker was Oliver, the first show of the season, but everything else has been a winner. It’s crazy that it’s already so close to being over!
I was very excited to see A Chorus Line, because it has a bit of a personal connection for me. Back when I was in high school, there were no drama/theatre classes offered until my senior year. Of course I jumped at the chance to take them when they were finally offered, and for some reason the theatre teacher must have had a boner for A Chorus Line, because we spent most of a semester learning the songs, and performing individual scenes as skits. We never properly performed it, but I remember so many of the songs because of all those weeks we worked on it.
My musical theatre knowledge is still very much developing, but knowing about the musicals I’m familiar with from the 50s and 60s, I feel like A Chorus Line must have been very groundbreaking for its time when it came out in the 70s. For those unfamiliar, it tells the story of a group of dancers who are auditioning to be in the chorus or ensemble of an up-coming Broadway show. It’s very stripped down and bare bones as far as sets and costumes, because it’s really about the people. Several characters are focused on and deeply discuss their lives, upbringing and families. It’s incredibly intimate, and so different from all the glitz and glam of bigger musical productions.
This production didn’t fuss at all with the formula. The only set design was a series of slightly distorted mirrors that ran along the back of the stage in a line, in front of the digital wall that was thankfully not used much in this production. Costumes ranged from leotards to jeans, and it all really brought home that casual feeling that you’re just sitting here watching an actual audition take place.
My biggest surprise of the show was that my favorite little singer from the Youth Theatre was in the group auditioning at the start! I hadn’t seen her in the official announced cast for the show, so I figured her character was going to be eliminated after the opening number, but I was still so excited to see her! And she even got to sing that famous, “I really need this job!” line. Even with just that one brief line, she got me covered in goosebumps. That girl has such a voice on her, she blows me away. She’s an amazing little actor too. When she was asked to leave the audition and didn’t make it to the next round, the devastation on her face was heart-breaking. I need to share her with all of you, because she’s such a talented little thing.
That was filmed last year when she was only sixteen, and I was lucky enough to hear her perform the same song at the Palace Theatre’s summer preview. Unfortunately I think it was just filmed on someone’s phone so the audio quality isn’t the greatest, but it gives you a taste of what she sounds like. I was bawling in the audience when I heard her. I know taste in singing voices is very subjective, but there is just something about this kid’s voice that is SO beautiful to me.
There were a handful of other Youth Theatre kids that I recognized from this early scene, and a couple of them were supposed to be the “bad” dancers, and they were clearly having fun with purposely dancing terrible. One of them kept looking at his feet, so the director would yell, “Head up!” and he would look STRAIGHT up at the ceiling. Another one who played The Artful Dodger in Oliver and is a very talented little dancer, was just being so unhinged, he got a lot of laughs.
Once the first elimination happened and they whittled it down to the main seventeen characters, there were several familiar faces. My favorite summer show Disney prince was there, along with the guy who’d played Joe Pesci in Jersey Boys, and a regular who always plays such funny characters. Everyone was great, but there were definitely a few standouts. The woman who played Diana was amazing, as was the woman who played Cassie, and the woman who played Kristine was always hilarious. The one who played her husband Al was also great, and had a lovely voice. I would loved to have heard him sing more than the little bit in their duet. The woman who sang “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” was also absolutely great, and super adorable. She was also hilarious in “Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love” when she kept yelling about tits.
The funniest moment was probably the guy who played Mark, talking about his first wet dream, but that was more just due to the script than the actor’s performance specifically, although he was great along with everyone else. I wonder if that anecdote was based on anything real life. I can totally imagine a kid who was raised very conservatively having a wet dream, looking it up in a medical text book, and thinking they had gonorrhea then telling a priest about it.
My ultimate standout though, has to go to the guy who played Paul. This character has one of the longest monologues of the show, and he tells an incredibly emotional story. The guy who played him had also played Joe Pesci in Jersey Boys, and that character is essentially comic relief, so it was a huge surprise to see this actor playing such a serious and dramatic part. His big scene was incredibly moving.
One thing about the show that was a bit painful to watch, was how long everybody has to spend just standing in one spot for some very long scenes. Dancing and walking around are one thing, but standing in one spot for so long can be so grueling. Especially when you’re playing a character and you have to make out like you’re actually fine and not incredibly uncomfortable. I could feel it in my own feet.
It was a wonderful way to cap off the season, and I hope all the cast members are having a blast performing this show together, in spite of all the standing. I’m exciting to find out what they’ve got planned for when the next season starts in the fall!
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