“A Chorus Line”

**** There is a line in “My Fair Lady” where Pickering says to Doolittle, ” I doubted you could do it, but succeed you did”. I humbly say to Wayne Mell that after seeing your production of “A Chorus Line” now on the smallish stage of the Skokie Theater- Congratulations! You did it!

Anyone who has been in this venue knows that this refurbished local movie house, converted to a live theater is on the small side, and “A Chorus Line” is a dance musical that has a lot of dancers doing a lot of movement- Mell and his choreographer Susan Pritzker were able to make this truly a special production. With the musical direction of Jeremy Ramey and a solid cast of performers, again, I was surprised by what I saw. When they rented their space to the Performer Company for their version of this show, I thought that with an adult cast, this might be a problem. Then, last season, Drury Lane with its very large stage did a magnificent rendition, so how can little Skokie Theatre fill the stage and not trample the performers” Mell did it and we sat up close and personal in seats that said obstructed view ( but were not).

Mell has put together a sterling cast of performers. There are a few that might not be shining examples of what the show requires, but for the most part, this is a production that is a great value for theater audiences. For those not familiar with the play, it is Michael Bennett’s tribute to the chorus line performers and their desire to get in front of an audience.. The play ( book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante) is based on Bennett’s actual interviews with dancers who were seeking roles in a production he was casting. The interview process is deeper than most actual auditions I have ever been part of ( and I did quite a few in my acting days) but getting deep into why dancers do what they do is what it is all about. There is also a segment where Zach (Played to perfection by Sean M.G. Caron) who represents Bennett, asks “What do you do when you can’t dance anymore?”

I adored most of the cast members but loved Judy (Whitney Marie Wolf),Mark (Jason Sekili), Maggie (Emma Drazkowski)  Diana (Marcela Ossa Gomez),. Mike (Tyler Meyer) and his “That I Can Do” was a cute number and the three ladies doing “At The Ballet “is always a place where a great deal of emotion pours from these wannabees. By the way, the music by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Edward Kleban is right on!

The Cassie ( Sarah Saperstein) role is one of great importance as she was the director’s old flame and he is in an awkward position. He thought her a star performer and she is willing to be in the chorus. In the wonderful dance number “The Music and The Mirror” we get that feeling and as interpreted in this production, we get to see Zach dance with her, showing us the involvement of the past and the hope for the future. Sheila ( Erin Renee Baumrucker) is the older dancer who truly feels that she is above the others ( in every way) and the young married couple Kristine (Madison Jaffe-Richter is adorable) and Al (Ben Isabel) handle their roles to perfection. Val (Lilli Javorka) is the sexy lady and Larry (Ben Paynic) is the dance captain and Zach’s assistant.

I have seen this show over 30 times and over those years have developed some favorite characters. Bobby is one that is always a show-stopper with the comic touches and his lines” If Troy Donahue can be a movie star, than I can be a movie star” and others. In this production, the role was  played by Maddy Shilts, who may have been off kilter tonight. I would be interested in the opinion of others as I felt something was missing from this very funny role. As I said earlier, this is a solid production that should be on your to see list. The costumes (Patti Halajian) for the Finale were not Broadway , but were up to the greatest dance number in theater history , “One”.

” A Chorus Line” will continue thru – Oct 8th with performances as follows: