50th Anniversary Revival of A CHORUS LINE still on track for 2025?- Page 3

[Jarethan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 12:45pm

blaxx said: "I would love to see the finale with an approach where, after that long audition, we see a female Broadway diva up front, and the dancers singing "One" to her, fading in her shadow.

This to show the heart breaking reality of being in an ensemble where the leads in the chorus are really destined to remain in the back of the stage."

Just reading this...I always felt that that was a miss in the original production.  It would have ended on such an ironic note.  I assumed that Bennett wanted to celebrate the dancers to the very end, and went for an 'untrue' ending.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 12:57pm

That idea for the “One” number was indeed tried during its Public Theater pre-Broadway run in 1975.  Even tried was having an audience member on stage as “the one.”  So many things were tried during this pre-Broadway run including having the audience pick the final line-up so each performance different dancers were picked.  All this is documented just can’t remember the other ideas tried and cut quickly.  Michael Bennett was basically workshopping the show with a paying audience during this pre-Broadway run.  

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 1:29pm

I wonder how many directors have requested to go back to having Cassie not make the cut. 

[The8re phan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 1:37pm

As great as all these suggestions sound, I'd much prefer that this 50th anniversary production be a straight-forward recreation of the original  --- no stunt casting, no gender-bending, no revisions, gimmicks or massive changes.  The original became a legend without all of that, and if you're aiming to celebrate A Chorus Line, why change it? 

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 01:37 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:34pm

Can we have 5 regional theaters across the country do this show 5 different ways? I'd like to see a few different takes on it. I mean, there's not much you can really change since it's bare bones as it comes, but maybe try some new choreography or something. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLDPAKj1Ew0

This version looks pretty cool. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:48pm

Alexander Lamar said: "I wonder how many directors have requested to go back to having Cassie not make the cut."

My guess is few. It's more honest, but it would sour the audience right at the end, and leave them unhappy with the whole evening in retrospect. Cassie being picked is an aesthetic flaw, but a necessary one for the success of the show. 

[oknazevad]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 7:05pm

Jarethan said: "blaxx said: "I would love to see the finale with an approach where, after that long audition, we see a female Broadway diva up front, and the dancers singing "One" to her, fading in her shadow.

This to show the heart breaking reality of being in an ensemble where the leads in the chorus are really destined to remain in the back of the stage."

Just reading this...I always felt that that was a miss in the original production. It would have ended on such an ironic note. I assumed that Bennett wanted to celebrate the dancers to the very end, and went for an 'untrue' ending."

I would t call the ending untrue in the least. The show is about taking the overlooked background players and thrusting them, and their lives, front and center. The ending does just that, taking the chorus dancers from the big number and instead of having them in the background behind the star, they're upfront, center stage, holding the entire show without a star. They, at long last, ARE the stars. and yet, they still blend together, into... 

One. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 8:09pm

I always liked the thought of Zack picking different people each night. Would keep the cast on their toes more. But it would make the finale lineup tough, especially for the guys.

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 2:06pm

Bump - is this happening?

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 2:13pm

I don't want another revival that looks exactly like the original production so unless they have a way to make it unique, I don't need it. 

[tomwsjr]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 2:19pm

I’ll take a revival of the original production, it was absolutely perfect. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 2:21pm

It would be interesting to see what someone thinks they can do better than Michael Bennett. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 3:07pm

one possible option is a gender swap type of revival. Cassie is male & Zack is female. At The Ballet is done with three guys possibly? But it would be a tough assignment for any director.

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 4:17pm

ACL2006 said: "one possible option is a gender swap type of revival. Cassie is male & Zack is female. At The Ballet is done with three guys possibly? But it would be a tough assignment for any director."

 

I, personally, would not bother to see a gender swap type of revival. I was dying for a COMPANY revival so I could finally see it live onstage (Saw the Doyle revival on video and own it.), but wasn't crazy about the gender switch. Switching just wouldn't work for me for "A Chorus Line". Maybe because it holds a special place for me after seeing the original production. Just my opinion.

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 4:29pm

uncageg said: "ACL2006 said: "one possible option is a gender swap type of revival. Cassie is male & Zack is female. At The Ballet is done with three guys possibly? But it would be a tough assignment for any director."



I, personally, would not bother to see a gender swap type of revival. I was dying for a COMPANY revival so I could finally see it live onstage (Saw the Doyle revival on video and own it.), but wasn't crazy about the gender switch. Switching just wouldn't work for me for "A Chorus Line". Maybe because it holds a special place for me after seeing the original production. Just my opinion.

"

there have been certain schools or college productions that have swapped Cassie/Zach because they wanted to put their star male dancer on a Cassie. if there is a 50th Anniversary revival, it would likely last 6 months or so depending on casting. I can't see a reinvented production of ACL for their big anniversary celebration. As long as no one from the 2006 revival is cast in it, the show should be fine on a limited run.

[merle57]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 4:33pm

They should leave the script and score as they were originally written. No gender swaps, no updating, no gimmicks like blood all over Cassie or Zach at the end because some new director wants a rejected auditioner to fire a gun. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 8:32pm

Please don’t give Jamie Lloyd any ideas.  The last thing we need to see is video up Maggie’s nose during “At the Ballet”.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 9:01pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Please don’t give Jamie Lloyd any ideas.The last thing we need to see is video up Maggie’s nose during “At the Ballet”."

I assume since Chorus Line was always sparsely-designed, Jamie Lloyd's interpretation would be a massive spectacle that puts Wicked and Phantom to shame. A giant bobsled descends during "Nothing". Three life-size blind mice storm the stage during "Sing". And of course when Ritchie sings "Gimme the Ball", the entire stage will suddenly transform into a basketball arena.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 9:09pm

Or they fill the orchestra with inflatable balls with his damn company logo on them, like at Escape to Margaritaville. 

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 9:49pm

ACL2006 said: "one possible option is a gender swap type of revival. Cassie is male & Zack is female. At The Ballet is done with three guys possibly? But it would be a tough assignment for any director."

The musical gender swap gimmick has had it's moment.  Let it rest. 

[Kad]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 11:10pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Or they fill the orchestra with inflatable balls with his damn company logo on them,like at Escape to Margaritaville."

…I’d see Jamie Loyd’s Escape to Margaritaville.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 11:25pm

Jordan Catalano said: "It would be interesting to see what someone thinks they can do better than Michael Bennett."

This is oversimplifying things. Yes, Bennett's staging was brilliant and revelatory in its moment, but the 2006 and City Center revivals were tepidly received and many felt it was rather lifeless, sapped of the brilliant originality on display when it first opened in the 70s. The book showed its age, too.

I've gone back and forth throughout the years on whether or not I think it should be recreated again or get an entirely new staging. Maybe the solution is that they need a different director/choreographer to breathe new life into it. Get Chris Wheeldon or Justin Peck to give it a new visual palate, recreate the choreography changing maybe 25% of it (if any), and look at the piece from a fresh perspective. As opposed to bringing in Baayork Lee yet again to mount a xeroxed production.

There are ways to honor the original idea and intent of the piece -- and Bennett's choreo -- without regurgitating what was done in 1975, 2006, 2018, and in every regional theatre in America.

Updated On: 1/4/25 at 11:25 PM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 1:35am

Having sat through an amateur production in Melbourne Australia last year, yes they tired there best, but this show is either dated or needs amazing performances to pull it off these days. Having seen the original during its New York run in 1988, those performers were bored beyond belief. I would rather see someone try to update it.

[bway1430]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 3:03am

To those who would love to see a gender-swapped/re-imagined version of the show...please, God. No.

A CHORUS LINE in its original form was perfect and although some of the references might be outdated, everything from the score to the choreography to the lighting was perfection.

Would love to see one more revival that is 100% faithful to the original, saluting what made the show a game-changer some 50 years ago and reflecting Michael Bennett's brilliance.

Somebody call Baayork and get her onboard.



 

 

Updated On: 1/5/25 at 03:03 AM

[MezzoDiva47]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 4:06am

there are only two ways to do this

either keep it set in the 1970s and treat it as having that place in history

or

completely revise it and update it to current day

the 2006 revival tried to walk the fence and have it both ways and the end result was it sucked

the script and lyrics are loaded with very specific pop culture references from the 70s which probably started feeling long in the tooth even by 1990 so those would need serious updates

while there are certain aspects of dancer life and auditions that are timeless the more personal anecdotes make no sense in the current information age

today anyone who doesnt know what gonorrhea is can google it so there is not the same innocence and type of ignorance as there was back then

10-year-olds know more about sexual issues nowadays than the 18-and-up ages of the characters in the script

as far as the score it is of its time like almost any musical so im not sure how you go about updating a masterpiece

they would need to go all in

not just remove the guitar like the 2006 abomination

the tough part about messing with a legend like ACL is that the reason for its original success was the extraordinary alignment of all of the elements

casting  choreography  music  lyrics  libretto  lighting  costumes

and yes even lack of an ornate set

yank one thread too hard and the entire piece could unravel

so a proper update would be a lot of work

and at the end would it even be recognizable as a chorus line

im not a purist but I think a classic revival that offers no compromise in any of the departments i mentioned above would be the best way to honor its legacy

mezzodiva47 has spoken

bow down accordingly