A CHORUS LINE Begins!! Notes on 1st few nights...

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 2:22am

Hellooo BWW-ers!

It's your old buddy the frequently-missing Broadway Matt! It's been quite some time since I've posted here, and I must say that I've missed (some of) you guys! I still think fondly back to the early days when an invigorating debate would go on well until the wee hours of the morning- a time when we were still relatively blind to the dangers of BWW addiction and when the message board community was still small enough where one could manage to be surpised by the inane and ridiculous assertions that have increasingly become the norm. We know now that it's just a part of life and can't be helped, but those were the days indeed!

Anyway, I've been taking some time off from posting on or even reading the boards. Sometimes a person just needs to take a break from musical theatre, and the relatively poor state of Broadway during the last year was an ideal time to do it. Now Fall has arrived, a great season of NYMF is in full swing, and this current crop of new/upcoming Broadway shows has made it impossible to remain dispassionate about the state of NY theatre. I figure it's foolish to avoid BWW any longer. So I'm hoping to start posting again on a semi-regular basis, but hopefully at a moderate and non-toxic level. On that tip, I really hope that some of you old members (pre-2005) are still here. It would be lovely to re-connect with you all. To anyone who sent one of the 23 new PM's I have, I'll get back to u soon.

Anyway with that long preface out of the way, I thought I'd post briefly on my new job. At the last point I was active here, I was still ushering the last days of CHITTY. After some months of partial or no employment I've landed on my feet at the beautiful Schoenfeld Theatre- with the extreme privilege of a steady gig ushering A CHORUS LINE!! This was the reason I changed theatres to begin with- I had simply hoped that CAINE MUTINY would keep everyone employed for a bit longer than it did.

CHORUS LINE THOUGHTS
So here I am, finally back to working a full 8 shows a week, in what feels like an ideal situation. To be any small part of this piece of Broadway history is an honor, and getting to watch it unfold night after night is a great privilege for me as a musical theatre nut. I've been able to see the show twice now- last night at the final dress rehearsal, then at tonight's 1st preview. By no means an expert on ACL, I'll post some of my inital reactions but will leave the real analysis for the people who know the show better than I.

I've only ever seen ACL staged in community theatres and have never been a huge fan of the original cast album or the film. Always had a great appreciation for the material and an underatanding of its importance in the history of the American musical, but it was never something I experienced firsthand. However, after preparing to start work by following the Cast Member blogs and starting to read Ken Mandelbaum's book on Michael Bennett- my level of regard for the show has increased exponentially. And now having seen the 1st 2 performances at the Schoenfeld, I feel my appreciation for the piece growing at a dangerous level. I understand more and more the reasons for the massive audience reactions it has been getting.

Indeed, the scene at the theatre has been electric and the crowd responses have been truly deafening. Granted, the people at the dress rehearsal were mostly connected in some way to the production or the industry, and the early preview audiences will consist mostly of true ACL fanatics- but the energy they are giving back to the performers is simply incredible. Their applause pervades the entire performance, not waiting for the ends of major monologues or musical numbers. Rather, ovations have been elicited by the simple presence of a certain character in a scene or the assumption of a particuarly historical bit of staging or execution of a memorable line or chunk of dialogue.

This is basically to say that I can't overemphasize the amount of love people clearly have for this piece and for its importance in their lives and theatre history as a whole. It's an amazing thing to be witnessing so far and it makes me wonder just how long these incredible audiences will sustain. With such excellent ticket sales, I'd think the groups of ACL lovers have it pretty well-booked for some months. There probably won't be significant full audiences of new viewers for quite some time, meaning people who have never seen or heard the show. That will be interesting to see when the time comes and how it is received by those with no concept of it's place or setting in history

As for the production itself, all I can say is that I approve! I have sincerely enjoyed these early days of "work" Naturally this could fade to feeling more like a job after 20 or 30 viewings, but these 1st 2 have been great nights of theatre for me. This is a rare occassion where I feel like the majority of an audience knows the show better than I do, so it has been very easy (and a plearure) to get caught up in their enthusiasm and utter adoration for the work of the cast and creators. And it stands to reason that if the production is good enough for these super-fans, it must surely be doing a sufficient job of living up to its material and past. On a talent level, I think this group is- for the most part- oustanding. The dancing is exemplary and the level of voice talent is quite high. I can see where some of the characters could develop a little further, but I'm sure this will happen over time. I won't criticize anyone in particular, both because there really aren't any overt weak points and because I want to keep my job. The real vocal standouts to me are a powerful Mara Davi as Maggie and a silver-voice Tony Yazbeck as Al (the "Sing!" number is wonderfully-performed). Charlotte is great, as she always is, and Deirdre's "Sheila" is a strong standout presence throughout. The young woman who plays Diana is also excellent in a pivotal role- her acting in particular lends just the right motivation, sincerity, and edge to the character. As an ensemble, they dance and sing beautifully together. The vocals sound gorgeous when they all blend for "What I Did For Love", and the "One" finale creates a stage picture that is something to behold.

There's a lot more I could write on the many good qualities of the various performances, but it's late and this post is long enough. Just wanted to get back into BWW rhythm and share initial thoughts. I'm looking forward to hearing and discussing your various reactions/experiences as more and more of you get to see the show.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 2:41am

Thank you for the review! I get to see this on October 26th and am soooo excited.

[Chanticleer148]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 6:17am

Great review and information. Have fun working the show.

[ken8631]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 10:10am

Saw the first preview last night - it was great! Charlotte was amazing, as was the whole cast. My wife spotted Marvin Hamlish standing in the back, went and got his autograph. Bernadette Pters and Joel Grey were sitting two row right behind us, we didn't bother them....

We did see the play way back when, but remmeber little of it. Remember the movie a lot more. This presentation was excellent. We noticed that during some numbers, Charlotte doesn't sing with the others, is this the way it's supposed to be?

Was looking to see if Terrence Mann was in attendance (Charlottes hubby, and was in the movie), but didn't see him....

At the end, no return by the cast for a much deserved standing ovation, it just ended.

All in all, had a great time, and the audience seemed to agree!

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 10:14am

Well welcome back Broadway Matt!!!
I definately know who you are from pre-2005
I'll be seeing ACL in Dec. and I can't wait
Maybe I'll see you, who knows?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 10:33am

>At the end, no return by the cast for a much deserved standing ovation, it just ended.<


SPOILER





That's the way the show has always been staged. Actually, the lights just fade on the dancers high kicking, while the orchestra plays the "One" vamp over and over, until the lights come up in the house. (It suggests that the people that you have come to know and care about over the past two hours become absolutely anonymous in the chorus line). It was the inspiration for one of the cheekiest ad taglines for the original Broadway production: "A Chorus Line: It Never Ends".

Updated On: 9/19/06 at 10:33 AM

[NJgirl]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 10:36am

I was there last night as well. Joel and Bernadette were behind me as I was leaving. I had seen her a few weeks ago at [title of show] so it was funny to run into her again. Also in attendance were Jenna Leigh Green and Russell Tovey of the History Boys. I saw Marvin Hamlisch as well.

I have only seen a regional production of this show so last night was a huge deal for me. The energy in the theater was electric though and there were numerous points where the applause lasted quite a long time. Even the opening chords of "One" got applause. I throughly enjoyed the show and was in awe of the talent on stage.

I thought the show was in fantastic shape (and I loved ever second of it) for being their first official NYC performance. Vocally, Mara Davi gave me chills during "at the ballet" and Jason Tam brought me near tears during his monologue. He gave a very emotional performance. All in all, I thought it was wonderful. I'm not much of a critic so I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts.
Updated On: 9/19/06 at 10:36 AM

[once a month]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 10:38am

Thanks for the insights and congratulations on your new job.

I look forward to seeing A Chorus Line on November 22...Thanksgiving eve. There is so much to be grateful for! This will be the fifth time I've seen it on Broadway, but only the first for this revival. I've also always collected memorabilia from the history of the show. Each of the different posters, as well as each of the key Playbills of its era are proudly framed and displayed on my two 'A Chorus Line walls'. Only a tophat from the finale has eluded me. I once bid $400 for one at the annual flea market auction...and it went for three times that much, lol.

The originals opening coincided with me getting my first apartment on my own, and it has always been reflection of growing up in my life, but then I guess it's a universal appeal.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 11:19am

Love these reviews!!! I get to see it Oct. 12!!

My local news station(WNBC) did a short piece on it yesterday & announced it was starting previews. They also said tickets are already hard to come by.

This is great!!!!

[WestVillage]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 11:53am

"At the end, no return by the cast for a much deserved standing ovation, it just ended." That is how the show always ends ... it is symbolic. However, I was sitting in the front mezz last night, and the mezz did give a standing ovation during the last few moments of the show during the high kicks just before the lights faded. It was very exciting to see the cast notice the standing ovation coming from the mezz, as it is an ending of a show that doesn't really allow for a standing ovation. However, where there's a will, there's a way.

[ken8631]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 12:35pm

Wish I knew that before! I would have stood before the lights faded!

[Luvinbroadway]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 1:29pm

Saw it as well. The show flew by and I noticed many nuances that I missed the times I saw the original. It is a pleasure to watch.
For me the standouts were Chryssie Whitehead as Kristine (a character who was never fleshed out for me in the past) and Deidre Goodwin as Sheila (a perfect and new interpretation).
These are also the characters that seem to have broken the mold from the original.
Charlotte as Cassie was the weak spot for me (although her dancing is stunning)...her voice was sounding strained (and strange) but perhaps that was fatigue from rehearsal...she was also the only one for me that blended into the line...like she wasn't even a presence until Zach calls her back on stage...I'm sure she will grow.
They sound great, they look great..Go!




Updated On: 9/19/06 at 01:29 PM

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 1:30pm

Did anyone who saw the out-of-town run in San Francisco see it last night? Charlotte seemed to fit naturally with the choreography for "The Music in The Mirror," so I'm wondering if they've adjusted it, as MichaelBennett suggested after he saw it a few weeks ago, or whether I'm missing something between how choreography works with a dancer's physique and form. Thoughts?

Indeed, Charlotte has clearly done some major vocal work to strengthen her belt and only missed one phrase at the very end of the final crescendo, just before she kicks into the dance sequence. Although she needs to tune and tighten the performance a bit, she rocks as Cassie.

Also, for something completely different...

Several people have noted here that they spied Marvin Hamlisch in the house last night (he's a big boy these days). Here's what happened outside the theatre. Some clueless wonder of a scalper actually tried to sell Hamlisch a ticket as he passed on the sidewalk from the Stage Door to the lobby. It was a moment!

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 2:02pm

Hello ken8631 and Broadway Matt! Nice to see you both posting here. Thank you for the heads up Matt, very nice. Have a great time with this.

Here is an additional view point review that I enjoyed from ATC. I'n sure there will be tons more to come.
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=307893


Pati b

[jess20882]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:24pm

I am suuuuuuuuuuuuch a huge fan of this show! I was too young to see it when it opened with the original cast, but I own the cast album, and the DVD, know every word to all the songs, and have been in a couple of different productions of ACL (coincidentally I played Bebe all three times!).
Anyway, I would love love love to see this show - does anyone know if there will be any sort of discount offered, or how I can get a ticket that doesn't cost the $120.25 advertised on telecharge?