50th Anniversary Revival of A CHORUS LINE still on track for 2025?- Page 2

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 6:58am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I guess it depends on how literal the staging is. John Doyle's Company and Daniel Fish's Oklahoma worked set in nonspecific times without changing the text. (((Please keep both of those men far away from ACL!!!)))"

You don’t want to see Cassie singing and dancing Music and the Mirror while playing the tuba?

 

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 7:50am

Jordan Catalano said: "I so disagree with that statement that it doesn't hold up anymore. The City Center production a few years ago was BRILLIANT. This might be the one show where I'd personally be ok if they never changed it. For me, it just works so perfectly as is. Obviously that's not how theater works but any chance I get to see that show (as done originally), I'll jump at."

Although I think there is always room for invention/innovation, the above post is spot on. There are few elements of the show that are open for reinvention (IMO). Costuming, Lighting, and Choreography are the only three that come to my mind, initially.

Please, please, please... No gender swapping, no additional scenery, etc... The reason the stage is bare (save for the line) is because this is not a show about "a show". It's solely about the people auditioning; their "real" lives, their talent, how they got to where they are (being on that line, in the real time in which the show transpires).

I would hope that any reinvention of this show would begin with the actors/director using the rehearsal time to mine the monologues for any fresh perspective - but without changing a word. For example, I'd like to see a Paul that brings a previously unseen perspective on how he completes that Anna Mae Wong line, "It was so...", and also reflects his *specific* ideas re: "what it means to be a man". The entire Paul monologue can be delivered differently based on what an actor believes about those two lines

In the last revival, I loved how casting an AA actress who brought some "soul" to Sheila created a new and interesting perspective (and humor) to the role. I'd like to see more of that kind of casting in the WHOLE show; not just one role. I don't, however, think a drastic change like a gender swap, revision of sexual orientation, etc. should be done unless it enhances the character, or brings a fresh perspective without having to change a word of the original book.

Bottom line is that IMO, other than the afore mentioned three components, any major revision to the show needs to be developed by the actors playing the roles, as the show is about them. The book and the score are fine as is.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 8:11am

Ariana DeBose is the obvious and yet perfect choice for Cassie, right?

[White_Lotus]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 9:00am

Valentina3 said: "Ariana DeBose is the obvious and yet perfect choice for Cassie, right?"

miss debose would make a magnificent cassie. 

i can only imagine how off the charts her “music and the mirror” would be. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 9:13am

Valentina3 said: "Ariana DeBose is the obvious and yet perfect choice for Cassie, right?"

It's not that I disagree with you, it's more that I don't have the kind of intimate relationship with Ariana DeBose needed to possibly agree, or disagree.

"A Chorus Line" is an extremely intimate show. The original cast was neither creating characters, nor "acting". They were intimately exposing their real lives with an audience. They were framed by the three elements I mentioned previously. Elements that enhanced, and contributed to holding the interests (creating "spectacle", perhaps) for an audience of perfect strangers.

The role of Cassie is now fairly set in stone as an actress who thought she wanted something beyond a stage career, but was disillusioned by her experiences in seeking that goal. She wants to return "home".

All the roles in "A Chorus Line" should (IMO) reflect each actor's personal and intimate shared, similar experience(s) with those of the original actors'. They need to be real. If they aren't, the show does not work well, and it becomes superficial spectacle. The tricky job for current actors is to bring their personal and intimate realities to the show within the boundaries of the (now scripted) reality of someone else's life. 

Do I believe that Ariana DeBose is a perfect fit based on her abilities as a triple threat actress? Sure. But, I don't have any knowledge of her personal/professional life to know what she might bring from her own life that would make the role just as real as the original. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 9:29am

Technically, Ariana DeBose would be magnificent. Should an Academy Award actress play the role?  Probably not. It would arguably distract from the concept that these performers (including Cassie) are simply chorus dancers. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 9:37am

^100% 

Any “star” casting takes away from the role and the show. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 10:34am

Jordan Catalano said: "^100%

Any “star” casting takes away from the role and the show."

Yes, however, I also feel like there are certain roles (Cassie, Shelia, Paul, Diana, Mike) have become "star-like" roles, so I don't care who plays Bebe or Maggie...but Cassie, Shelia, yes. So, to a point, some "star casting" is done. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 10:47am

I also think you have to quantify what "star casting' is. To some people, Charlotte D'Amboise was 'star casting' in the last revival, but to the public at large she was exactly who Cassie is - a featured performer who never quite became a star and would be unrecognizable to most audience members.

The show should ideally be made up of talented people who have careers as being Broadway gypsies, moving from show to show without ever having spent major time in the spotlight themselves.  Robyn Hurder, who was an excellent Cassie at City Center is an example of good casting for the role in recent times, as her own career parallel's the character's journey in the play.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 10:55am

"Star" is subjective, but mostly anyone who would be good enough to dance in ACL wouldn't be a "star" outside of Broadway circles. Even Ariana DeBose is not a money name post-Oscar.

As time goes on, the idea of Cassie being 40+ is more interesting than a Cassie in her 30s and adds more dramatic weight. Donna was 36. Charlotte was 42. I didn't like Charlotte in the part, but the stakes of a theatre dancer in her mid-40s are very compelling.

I guess the other question is if they would ever allow the text to be tinkered with to represent the lived experiences of the people playing the roles in that revival. Not drastic changes, but sentences or lyrics here and there to clarify things. The authors already made concessions for Connie, for example, when a white person had to play the part as an understudy or regionally.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 11:21am

Adriana DeBose is already on tap to appear in the next Marvel film, along with a half a dozen other movie projects that are in some level of filming or production. I think it is relatively safe to guess that by 2025 she will be recognized as a major film star. At any rate, too big a star to comfortably play Cassie.

[fbueller]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 12:09pm

It’s way too soon for revivals of ‘ACL’, ‘Gypsy’ or ‘Sweeney Todd’.  Let’s get some new, original productions not based on movies.

[joevitus]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 12:21pm

fbueller said: "It’s way too soon for revivals of ‘ACL’, ‘Gypsy’ or ‘Sweeney Todd’. Let’s get some new, original productions not based on movies."

I somewhat understand this sentiment, but ACL is hitting 50, and not attempting a revival would be a big missed opportunity. Gypsy we don't necessarily need for awhile, or Sweeney, but if there's an audience for the shows, why not do the shows? If I thought we had a flood of composers-lyricists putting out the quality of work represented by these shows, I might be more inclined to agree with you. As it happens, I don't. 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 12:57pm

The core aspect of this show, which for me was showing a bright spotlight on a deeply ignored, integral part of a huge industry, their struggles, their humanity, and their charismatic talent, is very very relevant. I think a truly fresh look at the production would bring the characters to 2025 and not leave them in 1960s. With the possible exception of handful of lines, everything will still feel very very current imo. A smart director would highlight the power dynamics, including sexual dynamics, between Zach and Cassie to connect to today's audience.

As for DeBose being "too big" for the part (which I don't think she is frankly - she truly feels like she can inhabit whatever the role will demand of her)... to me the answer is to cast people who are just as charismatic, and potentially successful, as she is. Hard to find people like that for an economically viable cast which can do justice to the choreography and acting chops needed for this show, though.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 1:11pm

New York is full of performers every bit as talented as Ariana DeBose.  I mean this with no malice at all, but Dubsose's film trajectory has majorly helped by the huge luck of a major film musical being cast, for which she was uniquely qualified for. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 1:35pm

Valentina3 said: "The core aspect of this show, which for me was showing a bright spotlight on a deeply ignored, integral part of a huge industry, their struggles, their humanity, and their charismatic talent, is very very relevant. I think a truly fresh look at the production would bring the characters to 2025 and not leave them in 1960s."

1970's. The show is of its time and should remain in its time. And it can still speak to us today from that vantage point.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 3:47pm

An update of text and lyrics is practically a page one rewrite. 1975 is the window on the individual stories: trust the audience to discover what’s changed and what elements of the dancer’s existential challenges are timeless. 

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 4:21pm

Well since everyone is talking about what they do and don’t want, I don’t ever want to see A Chorus Line without the original choreo. The clips from The Curve didn’t excite me at all. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 4:31pm

Two other things of note, both related to the Public Theater:

1) before his death, Michael Friedman was involved with writing a followup/spiritual sequel to A Chorus Line for the Public. "The original musical, about a group of auditioning dancers, was set in 1975; the sequel would have been set a decade later, as that same generation of dreamers was laid waste by AIDS." No word if other artists have taken that over after his passing.

2) pre-pandemic, the Public had been planning to present Antonio Banderas' Spanish-language revival.

So I think regardless of what Breglio does commercially, plans will be in concert with something at the Public marking the 50th anniversary of the company's most important show of the 20th century. Perhaps whatever revival happens would even begin at the Public.

Updated On: 4/8/22 at 04:31 PM

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 8:30pm

John Adams said: ""A Chorus Line" is an extremely intimate show. The original cast was neither creating characters, nor "acting". They were intimately exposing their real lives with an audience."

I'm grateful that no one roasted me for it yet, but I was thinking about what I posted while I was at work today. I'm wrong about saying the original cast was exposing their real lives on stage, and that they were neither creating characters, nor "acting".

The characters are based on what was shared by the actors in workshop, but I don't think the characters are 100%, real life re-enactments of themselves.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 8:41pm

John Adams said: "I'm grateful that no one roasted me for it yet, but I was thinking about what I posted while I was at work today. I'm wrong about saying the original cast was exposing their real lives on stage, and that they were neither creating characters, nor "acting".

The characters are based on what was shared by the actors in workshop, but I don't think the characters are 100%, real life re-enactments of themselves."

Of course it’s not 100% but a lot of OBC cast members took part in the workshop that more or less became the book of the musical. That can never be replicated again.

[bk]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 8:45pm

What this show never needs again is a re-stager. It's fine for the choreography - Bennett's choreography is brilliant and works, but you need someone to come in who hasn't done it a zillion times. And you need an actual director who knows how to cast and knows how to direct actors. That's always been the problem with re-stagers. 

[morosco]

Posted: 4/8/22 at 11:26pm

Scenery for all the songs that flesh it out a bit more? Or something. 

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 10:02am

Ryan Murphy has a new Netflix film and I’m just ready to find out more about that miniseries as well as this potential anniversary revival. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 10:48am

I'd be fine if they did some gender swaps if this actually happens.