One Singular Sensation

Yesterday, I saw a matinee of A Chorus Line at the Bob Carr, and I was really impressed. The show is kind of like a "musical within a musical," since it follows 19 dancers fighting for a spot in the chorus of a new show. After the director/choreographer gets to analyze their dancing abilities, he asks them to tell them a little bit about themselves. One by one, as the audition goes on, we hear about each dancers past experiences, why they dance, and what they will do when dancing is no longer an option. The show takes place in the 1975, and the costumes, dances, and music are all fitting of the period. The set is simple, consisting of only a mirror, that also flips to a plain black background. My mother and sister were not too impressed with the show (but my mom had already seen it and my sister isn't exactly an authority on musical theatre), but I thought it was really interesting. For me the show had the right balance of songs and dramatic monologues, but was lacking in dance numbers. I mean, the show is about dancers, so couldn't they have included a few more? I also found the large number of main characters confusing and a bit difficult to follow. But otherwise, I found the show to be spectacular. If fact, the musical numbers are still stuck in my head. Just imagine the torture my friends and family will endure when I buy the soundtrack! Then my lovely vocal stylings will have back-up! (Insert evil laugh here.) I love musical theatre, and it's always great to see shows that you have heard others refer to as classics. My favorite part of seeing a play is the feeling of being transported to another place, to another time. To quote The Drowsy Chaperone (another one of my favorite musicals), "It does what a musical is supposed to do, it takes you to another world and it gives you a little tune to carry in your head when you're feeling blue." That's just how A Chorus Line made me feel.

- Katie

(And thanks to the woman who wrote the review on i-tunes, who reminded me of the fabulous quote I ended the post with. I didn't remember it from the first time I saw the show, but it so fits the way I feel about musicals.)