A Chorus Line

My thoughts on A Chorus Line or… still the ONE!

Theatre Arlington’s glorious A Chorus Line was a cathartic experience for me. I was back in 1978 seeing the show for the first time. Every song brought a memory, and I fought to keep those joyful tears at bay but rarely succeeded.

It’s hard to believe that Michael Bennett, Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, Bob Avian, James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante and many others responsible for the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning A Chorus Line are no longer with us. But what a legacy they have left behind.

This story of young dancers auditioning for a Broadway show and baring their souls to us is a transcendent theatrical experience and is beautifully staged here by Director Steven D. Morris assisted by Garrett Caelen Weir, Music Director Mark Mullino, and Choreographer Leslie Jones.

I am always wary going into iconic shows like A Chorus Line that the creative may have tampered with perfection. That is far from the case here as Director Morris delivers an homage to the original but includes touches of his own that I found actually enhance the show. Using the turntable to have characters rotate as they deliver lines is particularly effective.

The look of the production is the famous one. Scenic Designer Bryan Stevenson provides the downstage line, and the upstage mirrored wall and, in his role as Lighting Designer, highlights the actors masterfully and creates moods and transitions seamlessly. Ryan Simón’s sound design is impeccable as usual. Hannah Bell gives the costumes their 70’s vibe. I’m always amazed by how talented costume designers can suggest so much by simply adding a scarf to an outfit and Bell’s costumes do much to define the characters and mirror the era.

Talent is not in short supply here as Choreographer Leslie Jones creates and recreates the fabulous dances inspired by Michael Bennett’s original. In a play that is all about dancing, Jones succeeds in making the dances thrilling.

Music Director Mark Mullino and his band that includes Jay Majernik, Rick Norman, Randy Honeycutt, and Rich Adams keep Marvin Hamlisch’s score soaring (that rumbling piano intro to “At the Ballet” always gives me chills.) Mullino also has the actors in spectacularly fine voice.

And, ah, the actor/dancer/singers that populate this A Chorus Line are indeed spectacular. If I have counted correctly, I believe there are 26 of them and the talent is phenomenal. I wish could spotlight them all. I do want to mention some stand outs in the show.

Sinclair Lewis has a commanding voice that defines the perfectionist director Zach who is off stage calling out directions for most of the show. Zach is unhappily surprised by the appearance of his former love, Cassie, at the audition. Candice Proctor’s Cassie is the best one I have seen in years. Proctor captures all of Cassie’s anxiety and her desire for “the chance to dance” and delivers a breathtaking “The Music and The Mirror.”

Daniel Vanegas is Paul, a quiet, introspective, gay, Hispanic young man who grew up being bullied. Vanegas is an accomplished dancer and actor I have admired in many productions. Here he achieves a new level of excellence delivering the heartfelt and moving monologue about Paul’s life. Alone on stage, Vanegas holds the audience spellbound as he reveals Paul’s past.

Kayla Starr Bryan about walks away with the show as the sexy, experienced, confident Sheila and performs a touching “At the Ballet” with Mattie Lillian Davis, looking young in pigtails and appropriately insecure as Bebe and Sydney Dotson’s sweetly poignant Maggie. Just beautiful, ladies.

Also falling into my “I’ve never seen a better one” column is Alli Betsill who plays the wide eyed, hopeful, and a bit awkward Judy. Betsill inhabits Judy so completely that I found myself rooting for the character and watching her react to the characters around her. A singularly sensational performance,

Diana Morales is one of the most memorable characters in A Chorus Line and Abriela Rodriguez is a dynamite Diana. Rodriguez brings all the feels to “Nothing" and “What I Did for Love” as the tough, gutsy, but easy to love Diana

Kynzi Gumm-Harris brings her prodigious all to the sassy, spunky, nubile Val and her “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” paean to plastic surgery is a major highlight of the show.

Jonah Moon is a terrific Richie, a Black dancer from Missouri. Moon’s presence is as powerful as his incredible voice which can be heard above everyone in the choral numbers. Moon gives Richie an edge that I haven’t seen before in this character, but it works very well.

Justin Konopka wowed me with his tap dancing as the exuberant, determined Mike. Konopka dominates the stage with “I Can Do That” and it would be an honor to watch him go “pitter pat” anytime.

As the married couple Kristine and Al, Ally Kay Ramsey and Sean Sicard make the comical song “Sing” even more fun with their characterization of the couple. His macho to her slightly ditzy is a very good match.

Connie has been in show business since age 5 when she was in The King and I. As an Asian American, she has always been type cast. However, she has never lost her sense of humor and Lindsay Longacre is a funny, charming Connie, sharing childhood stories of trying to stretch herself to get taller.

Mark is a young 20 year old from Tempe, AZ. Christopher Nguyen’s Mark reveals hilarious stories about his misconceptions about sex when he was an adolescent. Nguyen, who I recently admired in Uptown’s Xanadu, is a talented dancer with an appealing stage presence and has a flair for comedy.

Sam Illum is great fun as the sarcastic, flamboyant Bobby, a gay man whose father wanted a jock for a son. Illum knows how to deliver a comic line. Also adept at comedy is Evan Taiclet as Greg, a Jewish gay man who has changed his name to fit in better. Greg has an amusing tale about how he discovered he was homosexual.

Don, played by Joseph Tully, has stories of working in strip clubs, but he’s a married man now. Tully gives Don a confident, flirtatious demeanor and projects sincerity as the character.

Jackson Wyatt Phillips is Larry, Zach’s dance captain and assistant. Phillips is genial and supportive of the dancers as Larry and Phillips imbues him with good guy vibes.

What a cast this is. Theatre Arlington’s A Chorus Line is an incredibly fine mounting of this American classic that is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It’s moving and dazzling. Time for you to join the “Line!”