By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO—San Diego Musical Theatre has just launched its third and final show of its second season with a fine production of the dance tribute to end all dance tributes to all dancers, A Chorus Line. In 1975 the Marvin Hamlisch (music), Edward Kleban (lyrics), James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante (book) and Michael Bennett (conceived and originally directed and choreographed) musical hit Broadway and never looked back. It received 12 Tony Award nominations, winning for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score culminating with nine in all. The show ran for 6,137 performances and became the fourth longest running Broadway show ever.
Over the years, there have been at least five A Chorus Line’s that had either passed through on touring shows or were home grown. The variables are in the casting of the show. The original themes are the same. The production opens backstage in a generic theatre where twenty-four dancers are vying or auditioning to fill eight spots for a new musical about to be launched.
Every now and then, it’s good to see it again just because it is one of the quintessential dance shows of Broadway’s past (by doing the math, it’s 36 years old), not to mention it is a damn solid and good show, it gives dancers the complete floor on what goes into the process of becoming a dancer, and it gives the audience a chance to perhaps, understand how much hard work is involved in making something look so easy.
Not only that, we also get to see behind the scenes of what it looks like as dancers go through the audition process before even getting close to the finished product. From there the finished product and in this case, the Big Production Number and finale, “One” (that singular sensation) that always brings the house down.
In charge of these auditions in this show is the director, Zach (Carlos Martin) who barks out orders to this chorus of those wannabe chosen. He does this by relentlessly probing, questioning and eliminating while all the while getting under their collective skins by having each one give a brief background of himself or herself as the “I Hope I Get It” mantra is chanted in the background. This is the heart of “A Chorus Line”.
One by one Zach prods information from each with the usual suspects and personalities standing out over and above the others. Jessica Naimy as Diana, the brash Latina, who speaks of her toughness with one of her numbers, “Nothing” while relating a touchy, feely acting class she took in school on the one hand, and on the other hand later on in the show, belting out “What I Did For Love” with more emotional tremor than what was expected of her given her tough veneer.
There is Mike (Michael Marchak) the youngest of twelve who tells how he used to mimic his sister at her dance class by learning her steps in “I Can Do That”). Sheila (Leslie Stevens) is tough as nails and has been around the block several times. In her number, “At The Ballet,” she reminisces about her parents and her dancing lessons and her dysfunctional family life. The beautiful Alexis Carra is Cassie, Zach’s old flame and ex-live-in girlfriend, have a bit of an on stage why are you here moment ‘after all is said and done and you walked out on me’? Carra shows her talent as she dances her solo number that lasts at six or seven minutes if not longer, “The Music and the Mirror.”
Several of the boys speak of their homosexuality but it’s Paul (Gabriel Villanueva) who is given the juicy part as he recalls the pain of his early childhood, his removal from Catholic School when he confesses that he is gay, his dancing in drag after he leaves school and his parents’ recognition of him as a young man. That monologue opens the floodgates for the audience. Villanueva is a perfect Paul.
Jill Townsend is adorable as Val, the skinny kid with no chest no behind to speak of but a great dancer none the less. She ends up doing bit of body reconstruction and sings about it in another show stopper “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” or (“Tits and Ass” showing off her now big breasts.) Roger Ellis (Richie) is the tallest dancer I’ve seen but don’t underestimate; he can kick those babies out as far as the eye can see. Charlie Nash is Larry, Zach’s serious assistant who helps run the auditions and Erik Staalberg is Greg the Jewish gay man who struts around like a prima donna and talks about his first encounter with a woman when it’s his turn to talk. All in all, the dancing is terrific, the musical numbers are timeless, the voices good to just OK and the passion of the dancers, on a scale of one to ten, hits a ten.
Musical director and conductor Don LeMaster leads a sixteen-piece orchestra through Hamlisch’s music with ease but Larry Esau’s sound design must be tapered down so as not the deafen the audience. On opening the decibels were off the charts. Director Robert Marra, who has played several of the dancers in his past life, brings out the best in this dance company. While the costumes (Michele Ninness) are dancer tights, leg warmers, jeans, soft shoes and tennies throughout, it’s the finale with the glittery gold and white matching jump suits and top hats that catch the eye in the reflection of the mirrors that brings the audience to its feet.
The producers of San Diego Musical Theatre, Gary and Erin Lewis, can be proud of the class and talent they have brought to San Diego in these past two years. Me thinks they have to be doing it ‘for love’ otherwise they would have to be committed. It’s no easy task, producing a musical.
It’s worth a trip downtown.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Thursday, Friday and Saturday @8Pm, Sundays @ 2 through June 12th
Organization: San Diego Musical Theatre
Phone: 858-560-5740
Production Type: Musical
Where: Lyceum Theatre Horton Plaza
Ticket Prices: $30.00-$60.00
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com