By Joel Applegate
The freaks, ballers, wallflowers, toughs, and lovers of A Chorus Line busted down the doors of the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Saturday night.
Winner of the Tony and the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, A Chorus Line is based on true stories of Broadway dancers devised within a workshop process into a splashy and poignant musical that debuted in 1975. When I looked that up, I was amazed that this musical has been with us for that long. Apart from a few anachronistic boomer references, this musical is still as fresh as a snappy comeback.
At the ornate Egyptian Theatre, the stage is smallish when packed with this very strong cast of seventeen dancers. They fill the front of the proscenium, presenting a visually delightful group differentiated by height, shape, color, pose, and attitude. What I love about this cast is that they come from real life, without the ultra-groomed look of a Broadway or Hollywood casting agency. These are working artists! The complexity of the sound design by Shea Madson is well-modulated for the space. And the prodigiously complex lighting by Peter Mayhew emphasizes individual storylines with the boldness of a big Broadway show.
The most impressive attribute of this cast is that they are so well connected to each other, tuned in, and reacting genuinely to each others’ stories and trials as artists. In speaking with one of the cast members afterwards, I confirmed what I thought already: This was a deliberate process chosen by the astute director, Amber Hansen, to invite the actors into each others’ lives. As an ensemble, this cast, along with the director and choreographer McKenna Ward, with music director Heidi Potter Hunt, have built themselves into a powerhouse in sync with each other and the work, creating a wall of sound and spectacle that had me watching open-mouthed.
The director-within-the-play, Zach, authoritatively played by David Knowles, sets a driving tone from the beginning leading to very strong performances all around. Some of these great moments come from Joshua Samuel Robinson, who plays Don, a tough guy who brings strength to his dancing along with a big, knock-out voice, and Aaron Michael Ross, playing Mike, who is a bona fide tap master.
I’d forgotten how funny the script is—both in the dialogue and the lyrics. Joshua White as Bobby brings ease and quirky madness to all he does: “To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant.” Kurt Christensen and Kaylee Nelson, playing the married couple, Al and Christine, time their duet, “Sing,” perfectly in musical terms and comedic chops. It’s lots of fun!
I think it’s safe to say that A Chorus Line is known for pulling no punches. As the seasoned Sheila, Cate Conroy’s hardened exterior in “At the Ballet” reveals in a great voice the vulnerability that she’d tossed aside long ago. In these lyrics, Sheila sings a story that has to be told. In an innovative touch, the number is shared with Maggie and Bebe, played respectively by Chelsea Cowley and Chantelle Wells, who blend in beautifully with Conroy.
More showcases abound in A Chorus Line, among whom is Cassie, played by Aimee Pike, who uses her triple threat—acting, dance and vocals—to “The Music and the Mirror” in a number that the crowd vociferously cheered. Erica Choffel’s beautiful voice shines in Diana’s two numbers, “Nothing” and the famous show stopper, “What I Did for Love.” In citing the song as the story, the delight of the night was Cat Umano’s Val, who explains, in one of the clearest voices in the ensemble, how plastic surgery turns rejection into the purposeful pursuit of happiness.
Perhaps the most effective moment of the night is delivered by Mejai Perry as Paul. Perry introduces us to Paul with over-the-top enthusiasm for just being there, belting in a voice that is purely Broadway. But his moment comes in the second act when, as one of the youngest members of the troupe, Paul tells the story of his queer/drag coming out to his family, who to his surprise, accepted him anyway. To a hushed audience, he delivers the bottom line: “Lot of people in this world who don’t know how to be a man.”
A Chorus Line is a textbook example of doing what great musicals do: employing song lyrics that move the story forward as much as (or more than) the dialogue does. And you just don’t do A Chorus Line as an artist, dancer, or actor without fully committing to it. These seventeen dancers bolster their characters by paying attention, connecting, and hearing each other. For them theater equals work equals life. This exceptional ensemble and creative production crew from the Ziegfeld Theater in Ogden delivers a work that is thoroughly dazzling and deeply satisfying. See it at the Egyptian Theatre in Historic Park City before it bounces out of town on July 21st.
Adult language and content.
Egyptian Theatre Company Presents A Chorus Line, Book by James Kirkwood Jr., Nicholas Dante, Bob Avian, and Michael Bennett; Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban
Egyptian Theatre, Historic Park City, 328 Main Street, PO Box 3119, Park City UT 84060
July 6-21, 2019, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8:00 PM; Saturdays at 6:00 PM.
Tickets: Thursday $29-$45, Friday-Sunday $35-$55, *Tickets increase $5 a half hour before show time.
Contact: 435-649-9371, boxoffice@parkcityshows.com
Egyptian Theatre Company Website
Park City Shows Website
Egyptian Theatre Facebook Page
A Chorus Line Facebook Event
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