A Chorus Line – Sadler’s Wells

Archie Durrant, Manuel Pacific and Jocasta Almgill in A Chorus Line at Sadler’s Wells and Touring. Picture: Marc Brenner

A Chorus Line continues at Sadler’s Wells, London until 25 August 2024. The tour continues until 5 October 2024.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

What better place for this three-week stopover in London of this wildly energetic musical about the highs and lows, the bitter-sweetness of the cut-throat audition world, the pain of rejection and the ecstasy of success, than Sadler’s Wells, the home of dance?

The Marvin Hamlisch classic, fondly remembered for Donna McKechnie’s Cassie with Patti LuPone’s older brother Robert as director Zach, first hit Broadway in 1975. It was audacious then, this heartbreaking story of 17 auditionees – ‘I really need this job’ – whittled down to just eight ensemble roles for a Broadway show. The piece was originally conceived, directed and co-choreographed by Michael Bennett who used true stories derived from an intense workshop process to create a masterpiece (along with book writers James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante).

A Chorus Line arrived in the West End the following year but it took 37 more for a so-so revival at the London Palladium and a further 11 until this limited-run peek at Sadler’s Wells as part of a UK tour that winds up in the first week of October. This is the Nikolai Foster-directed production, with seven of the original cast (including the two leads Adam Cooper and Carly Mercedes Dyer) and most of the creatives, that first saw the light of day at the Leicester Curve in 2021.

Electric dance routines apart, A Chorus Line boasts some of Hamlisch’s finest musical work (lyrics by Edward Kleban). ‘What I Did For Love’ and ‘Nothing’ are both beautifully delivered by the mighty Jocasta Almgill as Diana, ‘The Music and the Mirror’ is danced and sung to perfection by Dyer as Cassie, the sassy Chloe Saunders makes the most of ‘Dance: Ten; Looks: Three’, a witty ditty that might not be PC these days about the benefits, physical and mental, of a bit of a tweak here and there, and Amy Thornton, Lydia Bannister and Kate Parr shine luminously in the gorgeous ‘At the Ballet’ sequence.

The elastic limbs of Redmand Rance makes ‘I Can Do That’ so spectacular that on opening night he received a deserved ovation and Manuel Pacific movingly tells the sad tale of Paul. And the finale when all winners and losers come together for the dazzling, golden ‘One’ is a feast for eyes and ears. Without doubt, a singular sensation.

Ellen Kane’s well-drilled choreography is off-the-scale, Grace Smart’s set is as simple as a rehearsal room needs to be and the dance routines are accentuated by the five mirrors at the back and the giant live projections give the audience a new angle on the cast doing its stuff.

Hamlisch himself would have approved of the sympathetic way MD Matthew Spalding and his eight-strong group bring his wonderful score to life.

This musical is a rare and loving homage to the ensembles, swings and understudies who are the engine room, the heartbeat of any musical. They are the ones who rarely get a mention in reviews because a list of names makes exciting reading only for those who see their names in print and there are so many there’s often not enough space to do it. I salute them all as, without exception, they will have worked just as hard to get where they are as the bigger ones above the title.

These dance wannabes are mostly young(ish) and as my guest on press night, my 15 year-old grandson Henry, is working towards a stage career, his views on Cooper as the director-within and the show as a whole, are every bit as relevant as this old codger’s. Here’s what he had to say:

Henry Russell writes: I cannot think of a better way to end the week than by watching an incredible production of A Chorus Line at the wonderful Sadler’s Wells. A brilliant combination of dance and song, with a hint of humour, culminates in a spectacular performance with twists and turns aplenty as the audience is taken on a ride through the minds of some outstanding actors.

As Zach, Adam Cooper gives a magical performance. His ability to control the stage while hardly raising a finger is second to none. His classic representation of the short-tempered director, while slowly revealing the bigger picture of his past [notably, his relationship with Cassie], is gripping from start to finish. A stunning performance from Carly Mercedes Dyer as Cassie shows the true chemistry between characters that drives the show forward.

The coordination of the ‘Chorus’ is unparalleled. Every single character has a distinct personality in and out of the spotlight. Standout performances come from Archie Durrant as Mark Anthony, particularly on the funny-but-not-really number ‘Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love’, and Manuel Pacific, giving a moving monologue as Paul San Marco.

Overall, a must-see phenomenon. It really is ‘One’ of a kind!

Jeremy Chapman / Henry Russell