Stratford's Chorus Line - New Choreography

While I agree this choreography looks more athletic than inspired, I don't think you would necessarily want to do the original choreography in the festival theater because of it's configuration. I'm seeing the show in a few months and I wonder if it might play better in that setting than it does on video.

Updated On: 5/7/16 at 01:19 PM

I think you have to think about it as a business decision by the estate of Michael Bennett. The last bway revival proved that it just doesn't excite the way it did in the 70's and the 80's. In order for the show to remain relevant in the modern theater world (which the story still is and still should be told) they need to loosen up on how it can be staged. Not saying its better without Bennett's choreo, but they want it to be viable for profession productions across the entire world and it would be most attractive now as a show that could be re imagined.

I think that's fair, and while I am a traditionalist I admit, with the original staging so well preserved especially in this case, I am not adverse to the opportunity for takes being allowed. I guess for me this looks too close to the original just not as effective--hence the "why bother". I saw the revival on tour--at the time it was still running on Broadway but with Mario Lopez I think I saw the better cast lol. I found it thrilling but of course I was too young to see the original. That said I am not sure a new production would have run longer on Broadway than the recreation.

Fair point about the thrust stage. They did do a good job adapting Robbins' WSS choreo for it but that dancing is arguably more, for lack of a better term, thrust forward than Bennett's ACL for obvious reasons.

Thanks for the link Tag! I suspect in a few minutes BWW will post it on their news feed as something they just discovered ??

I'll have an ice cream sundae--but hold the ice cream.

Apparently that production is no longer official? :P Was that the one a year or two ago that actually completely re-conceived numbers?