A Chorus Line Tour

[xoffender45]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 11:38am

Has anyone seen the tour lately? How is the cast? This is my all-time favorite show and just shelled out 150 bucks to see it in Fort Lauderdale tonight, and was wondering if the cast is any good

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 11:56am

Seeing it tomorrow night.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 11:59am

I'll let you know how tonight goes. lol

You from FTL, PalJoey?

[GottaHaveAGimmick]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 12:18pm

I'm going next Thursday. There have been no reviews yet, but the local papers should run something this weekend. I am treating a friend who has never seen it, so I am looking forward to his "virgin" reaction. I recall a huge emotional connection when I saw it 20 years ago.

[dg22894]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 12:28pm

I saw it in Detroit. I liked the Broadway Cast i saw much better but this cast was still pretty good.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 12:35pm

Here's a review from last night's performance:

https://florida.broadwayworld.com/article/A_Chorus_Line_May_It_Run_Forever_20090218

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 12:41pm

Just visiting, xo.

[arch_animal90]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 1:29pm

Isn't Nikki Snelson in it?? the original brooke from Legally Blonde?I really like her

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 1:30pm

she WAS in it, she has been gone since October I believe

[fizzthelibertine]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 4:20pm

I saw the Saturday matinee (2/14) in Orlando. The cast was good and there were some standouts (Kevin Santos [Paul] and Gabrielle Ruiz [Diana])

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 4:23pm

I saw this in Philly over the holidays and it was amazing!!! I think at that point, Robyn Hurder had just joined the tour from "grease" on broadway. I thought she was great. I had never seen ACL before so I didn't have anything to compare this cast to, and I loved it!!!!! I thought the best character was the kid at the toward the end who did more of a monolouge than a song. I can't remember his name...it may have been Paul. He completely broke my heart he was so good!!!! I highly recommend that if this tour comes to your city go see it!!!!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 9:11am

In many ways, this tour is a better tribute to Michael Bennett than the Broadway revival was. First off, it doesn't have to cope with the jaded Broadway audience's comparisons to the original production.

Next, it has terrific chemistry between Robyn Hurder and Sebastian La Cause as Cassie and Zach. He was a tough and sometimes nasty Zach, which gives the show bite. And when he made it all about Cassie having walked out on him, there was an element of vindictiveness that made his eventual choosing her a surprise--just the way it was written.

Robyn Hurder's "Music and the Mirror" was nicely sung and beautifully danced--a real pleasure. Her sadness at Cassie's not being able to act and not having become a star was sharply edged. I didn't expect to like her as much as I did.

When you have a good Cassie and Zach, the dynamics of the drama overall fall into place.

Shannon Lewis and Mindy Dougherty were excellent as Sheila and Val--with Lewis getting some surprising multi-leveled tones out of her one-liners. The boys were all good, especially Alex Ringler as a very statuesque Greg and Anthony Wayne as a big loud Richie.

Overall, the acting was good and the dancing spectacular.

My biggest beef with this company, like the Broadway revival, is that all the female voices sounded so shrill compared to the OBC. There is a vulnerability to the women's voices on the recording that I remember from sitting in the Newman and the Shubert--a throbbing, aching vulnerability. Now it's like they get those gals belting and belting HARD.

And I like belters!

But overall, I'm still glowing and I imagine that the ghost of Michael Bennett is smiling.

Updated On: 2/20/09 at 09:11 AM

[GottaHaveAGimmick]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 9:44am

Thanks for your review Pal Joey. Looking forward to it. Here is the Miami Herald review:
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/arts/story/910037.html

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 10:28am

I am seeing it when it comes through St. Louis in May!

[withoutlovewithoutU]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 11:20am

I'm seeing it in Buffalo in May! Sounds like it'll be worth my money

[WickedToronto]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 11:58am

Saw it in Toronto , I thought it was a pretty good show.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:12pm

I just came back from the show. I will always love this show, although for some reason, it felt like it dragged towards the end.
I thought that some of the performers were amateur-ish, but some others were excellent.
The only understudy was Stephanie Martignetti as Val, she was outstanding, and I enjoyed her Val as much as Jessica Goldwyn's on Broadway or even more.
Most of the cast was great, but the female singers weren't good at ALL, for exception of a few.
Gabrielle Ruiz and Liza Domingo were very good, and Robyn Hurder was great as Cassie, but as much open minded as I was, not many of the actresses that will play Cassie will ever be as good and iconic as Tony-nominated Charlotte D'Amboise. D'Amboise's dancing technique was absolutely flawless, and she just moved me so much both times I saw her playing the role, I don't think anyone can be such a good actress for that part as she was.
The male cast was very good, there were no weak singers, and I have to say that Colt Prattes was absolutely gorgeous, and the sexiest Al I've seen.

[Dangerous Divine]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:40pm

It sounds like the tour is in better shape than when I saw it with it's original cast in Boston. That's great to hear. (Especially since I thought that the tour in Boston with the exception of Nikki Snelson and Jessica Wu, was in embarrassingly bad shape.)

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:51pm

I forgot to mention maybe the biggest standout of the female cast, Bethany Moore was excellent.

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 2/23/09 at 5:55am

seeing it in DC in mid-March!!

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 2/23/09 at 10:57am

I saw it in Detroit. Bland. They phoned it in (Saturday night show, so they had already done a matinee). I saw a local production that was much better acting and singing. But, tour's dancing was excellent.

According to a guy that played in the pit, the cast was never the same during the entire run in Detroit.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 2:23am

I re-visited the Broward Center and I got to see Rebecca Riker as Sheila, who was wonderful, even better than Shanon Lewis who plays it on a regular basis.
Valery Clark was played by Mindy Dougherty, and honestly, her understudy Stephanie Martignetti was 10 times better!
Whoever played Maggie was supposed to hit a big note in "At The Ballet" and wasn't able to hit it, that was painful, her voice is not good enough to play Maggie. The actresses that played Maggie on Broadway were all top notch. That wasn't acceptable for a National Tour.
On the other hand, Clyde Alves, Gabrielle Ruiz, Bethany Moore, Sebastian La Cause, among others were brilliant.
Robyn Hurder got a big applause after "The Music and the Mirror" and she certainly did her best, but I have Tony Nominated Charlotte D'Amboise's Cassie very fresh in my mind, and her acting was a lot more heartfelt and her dance technique was many times superior.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 11:21am

considering how many people auditioned for ACL, couldn't they find someone to hit that note in At The Ballet. Hopefully she was just having an off night.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 11:54am

The Maggie I saw in Fort Lauderdale hit it all the way to Boca Raton.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 4:20pm

not many of the actresses that will play Cassie will ever be as good and iconic as Tony-nominated Charlotte D'Amboise.

That's just a cruel thing to say. Oh, wait, you aren't being ironic? You actually mean that? Ser*i*ous*ly?