Theater Review
‘Chorus Line’
Celebrates Dance
By Charlie McMeekin

The closing production of Northern Stage's tenth season features a Broadway hit that lasted for 15 years in The Big Apple.

"A Chorus Line" looks behind the scenes at the life of those who seek their happiness by singing and dancing in the chorus. The setting is audition day, and as we watch the dancers go through their paces, we begin to learn a bit about their personal journeys as well.

At times, it’s touching, as when a male dancer finds that his parents can’t support his dream, or funny, as one chorus girl touts the benefits of buying larger body parts to, well, increase the size of her assets.

Even the choreographer, a man of godlike perspective to the dance aspirants, is given a human shape when his ex-wife is "on the line" auditioning, having faced the fact that she’s not of star quality, but yearns to once again be part of the chorus line.

The music by Marvin Hamlisch is first-rate material, and the script is peppered with witty one-liners. "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant" was among my personal favorites.

Ultimately, however, this is a show about dance, and choreographer Luis Villabon, who also happens to play the choreographer, creates exciting and vital movement on stage. The dancers were excellent, with special kudos to all of the males. Kristopher Thompson-Bolden’s work alone is worth the trip.

The set featured the mirrored wall behind the dancers, a device that helps pull the audience into the action and adds some zip when it first appears. It was overused in this production, though, and became more of a distraction than an asset. To steal and modify a line from the show, "Dance: 10, Looks: 6"

The curtain call also posed a problem for me, as it occurs just after the heartbreaking finale in which some of the characters we’ve come to care about are sent packing. To have them return for a final number and a bow didn’t work for me, perhaps because I’d read the original director‚s program notes before the show began.

"I don’t believe in bows, just the fade out," he wrote. "That’s what a dancer’s life is."

It’s not about the applause, or the money, or the fame. Those themes are for other shows and other types of performers. For the dancers, it’s encapsulated in the penultimate musical number, "What I Did for Love."

No dancer should miss this energetic and purely fun evening celebrating the allure of the stage.

"A Chorus Line" runs at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction Wednesdays through Sundays until April 15. For tickets, call 296-7000.