Why are all these kids around?

Somewhat surprised that the Playbill article announcing the cast of The Muny's A Chorus Line (and The Muny's orginal press release) stated (and I quote) “The Company will also be joined by The Muny kid and teen youth ensembles.”

How does one possibly add a large number of kids and teens to this show?

Is it take your daughter to audition day?

Do the characters have ghosts that act out Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen?

Does the stage suddenly fill with a mass of gold clad high kickers at the end? (Which seems to be against everything that A Chorus Line is about.)



It takes me back to high school and a production of Once Upon a Mattress with a large kids chorus. All was going well until one little nine year old girl ask the director “If the Queen has decreed that no one can marry or have children, Why are all these kids around?”



http://www.playbill.com/article/munys-a-chorus-line-casts-its-zach

https://muny.org/news/ivan-hernandez-joins-munys-a-chorus-line-full-design-teams-announced/

what? this is not Follies. why are they adding those unnecessary flashback ghost characters?

This kind of thing is what brought down the community theater where I used to be an actor. We had a number of successful shows and then we did Wizard of Oz and invited the nearby grade school to be the munchkins. There must have been 70 munchkins in that show. In terms of ticket sales, it was a huge success. Every one of those munchkins had family come from near and far. However, for future shows, we had to find a way to add a reason to suddenly have 70 kids on stage. Sound of Music? 70 kids join in Do Ri Me. Carousel? 70 kids walk on stage for no reason. Joseph? Ok that one worked a lot easier. But still. Our theater became a place to watch 5 year olds stand onstage screaming out a song in a home made costume. And we couldn't get away from it. The last straw was when we did Annie and the girl who played Annie had a mom who threatened to pull her daughter out of the show unless her family got in free and before the house opened. So we ended the company after that.

Adding kids to a show builds in an audience of ticket buyers (family, friends, grandparents, kid's friends, teachers, etc.). It's a cash grabbing gimmick.

Phantom4ever said: "This kind of thing is what brought down the community theater where I used to be an actor. We had a number of successful shows and then we did Wizard of Oz and invited the nearby grade school to be the munchkins. There must have been 70 munchkins in that show. In terms of ticket sales, it was a huge success. Every one of those munchkins had family come from near and far. However, for future shows, we had to find a way to add a reason to suddenly have 70 kids on stage. Sound of Music? 70 kids join in Do Ri Me. Carousel? 70 kids walk on stage for no reason. Joseph? Ok that one worked a lot easier. But still. Our theater became a place to watch 5 year olds stand onstage screaming out a song in a home made costume. And we couldn't get away from it. The last straw was when we did Annie and the girl who played Annie had a mom who threatened to pull her daughter out of the show unless her family got in free and before the house opened. So we ended the company after that."



I am laughing my ass off.

There were no homemade costumes and no screaming kids. There have certainly been shows where I rolled my eyes at all of the children that the Muny stuffed onto the stage but this wasn't one of them.

I thought the concept was overall handled well. The dancers are telling stories of their childhood, the visual representation of the story paired well and was used sparingly. I will certainly admit that I have not seen another production of A Chorus Line to compare this to, but I enjoyed what I saw, knowing going in that this would be an unusual production. These characters are telling their stories about how they fell in love with dance in childhood/adolescence, and a new generation of dancers/actors are getting their first taste of dancing/acting on the big Muny stage before the audience's eyes - to me, it made for a powerful moment in What I Did For Love.

Just as an additional note, the Muny presented this without intermission, as it should be. I was pleasantly surprised.

starcatchers said: "I've never seen the show done WITH an intermission. That seems weird. "

Apparently some productions put an intermission in, most likely to bolster concession sales. With the Muny being an outdoor theatre, they do A LOT of concession sales so I was nervous before the show that they might try to squeeze an intermission in. Thankfully they did not.

Jut like with the song "Cabaret', I feel that no one reads ACL before putting it on. How is this a show to have children around? The whole point of the interviews was to dig deep in the performer's personal and professional experiences. How uncomfortable for the children to be around these very adult stories.

Biggest fail of the year.

We have a company here in Australia that specialises in just that---and is very successful.

They have done a big arena style production of Cats,Hairspray,Grease and others I can't remember.

They CHARGE approx $300.per child to appear in these musicals which is supposed to train and expose the little darlings to 'show biz'.

The stage is then awash with group activity-colour and movement and as said above,all kids have x number of guaranteed ticket sales attached.

Many minor/major Australian singers[Dami Im-Eurovision] have attached themselves to these productions.

One was enough for me.

As someone who joined less than three months ago, you know this how?

@blaxx

I must admit that I am not very versed with the libretto from A Chorus Line, being that I've only listened to the album once or twice. Does that song include anything really grotesque or vulgar beside the mentioning of an affair? I doubt many children in this day and age would be shocked by the thought of hearing about someone having an affair. With that being said, the parents of "Muny kids," are allowed to come and sit in on many rehearsals. They have the right to pull their children out if they feel the material is too adult.

I am not stating that this show is a good show for them to be in. Quite the contrary, especially with some other well known lyrics, "tits and ass." I was just giving an insight into what goes on backstage and how and where the children are kept compartmentalized in the case of some extremely raunchy material. Being a part of the Muny kids and teens is a great experience that allows these children the chance to perform in professional summer theatre, with very well known actors in the business. If I were a parent of a child who wanted to do theater, I'd gladly allow them to perform in a show with them.

The Muny will do just about anything to fill all those seats. Remember the 2013 production of Nusense (with Dee Hoty, Terri White, Beth Leavel, Phyllis Smith not to mention Lara Teeter as Father Virgil and Ken Page as Sister Mary Wilhelm but wait also a 36 member youth ensemble plus a dozen "St Louis Strutters" and finally eight "St Louis High Catholic School Models'

https://www.muny2.org/programs/2013/NUNSENSE/files/assets/basic-html/page28.html

https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/what-the-hell-nunsense-gets-the-muny-style-treatment/Content?oid=2503703