I'm not saying that Bennett would be against the casting of Mario Lopez.
I'm saying, putting a 'star', ANY star, at the tip of the formation during "One" violates the entire message of A Chorus Line. (And that's just one of many alterations that are similarly ruining the meaning of the show.)
Zach: But you're special!
Cassie: No, we're all special. He's special, and she's special. And Sheila, and Richie, and Connie. They're wonderful. I'd be proud to be one of them. And I'll take chorus. If you'll take me.
A Chorus Line shows that all of the "chorus dancers" on that stage ARE special. They might be seen as "One", as a conformist commodity that backs up the star, but underneath their performances, they are individual people. They are wounded by their parents' divorce (Maggie) or remembering when they followed their sister to dance class (Mike) , or confessing a former life as a drag performer (Paul), or displaying victorious plastic surgery results (Val). They want to be a movie star (Bobby), or just got married (Al and Kristine). We see them as a chorus, as one, but now we see how special they are, and it upsets our pre- conceived notions. Who else has inner lives that we don't bother to notice? That group of construction workers? That group of single moms? The community we live in? A chorus line says that the chorus, and the WORLD is made of individuals, and we should take the time to notice how special everyone is, and to appreciate them, including ourselves.
The song "One" is intended to incite emotions in the audience, beyond joy as the show business wizardry. In every interview, in every Bennett biography, in every musical theatre class or book, you can find discussion of how frightening "One" is. All of a sudden, these individuals have disappeared, and we are seeing the chorus. We can barely recognize them, barely tell Connie from Bebe, or Zach from Larry, in the identical costumes and hats, and with cloned smiles. The curtain sets on this group of clones, kicking their legs into oblivion, to drive the point home of the show.
Putting a 'star' at the point of that formation, whether it is Mario Lopez, or anyone else, diminishes the message of A Chorus Line. The casting of Lopez is fine (and his abilities to perform the part well are subject to personal opinion), but these changes, insinuating that star power or star popularity should be accommodated, are the opposite of what A Chorus Line is about. It is about seeing the formation in 'One', and being frustrated by the empty glitz, and wanting to see Judy's thin-ness in her leotard and Diana's attitude in her stance and hear Mike's accent and Kristine's nervous giggle. It is about being unsatisfied with the 'star' and 'chorus' system of theatre, AND of life. It is about learning to treat everyone like a star. I think Mario Lopez at the tip of the formation is awful, it says "look at this star!", and it changes everything that the show is about. Unless this is intended to be ironic (which I highly doubt), it really shocks me that it is being allowed.
And everything, from the costume changes, to the putting Zach on stage at new points, violates the message of the show as well. It all screams "Look at Mario Lopez!" A Chorus Line is not a show about a star. It is a show about dancers. A show about a community who reclaims its special- ness as individuals. A community that are all stars, and deserve more than to just back one up.
[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.
