A Chorus Line – Leicester Curve and Touring

Redmand Rance and the cast of A Chorus Line at Leicester Curve and Touring. Picture: Marc Brenner

A Chorus Line continues at Leicester Curve until 13 July 2024. The tour continues until 5 October 2024.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

It may be nearly 50 years old, but A Chorus Line remains as timeless and relevant as ever, brilliantly illustrating the gruelling processes that dancers go through for a chance to do what they love on a theatrical stage, to be part of an industry that will inevitably chew them up and spit them out when their expiration date arrives. It’s a gloomy outlook as the auditionees realise their dream job comes with a limited shelf life, and they may have to look beyond their stage careers sooner rather than later (a scene which must ring worryingly true for the actors themselves too). They do it all, as the penultimate song says, ‘for love’, of dance and of theatre. It all strikes a bittersweet tone throughout, and it’s this resonation which has given the musical its legacy and power.

Leicester Curve’s 2021 production was a highlight for many, and it’s back this year, readying itself to high-kick its way across the country on a UK tour. With its classic score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, the 1975 American musical transports us to mid-70s New York, where director Zach (Adam Cooper) has assembled a large group of dancers to audition for his next show, including Diana (Jocasta Almgill), Paul (Manuel Pacific), Mike (Redmand Rance), Val (Chloe Saunders) and Sheila (Amy Thornton), among numerous others.

After a first round of cuts, Zach works down the line, wanting to know more about these hopeful performers before making his final casting decision. Among the women trying out is Cassie (Carly Mercedes Dyer), a former professional dancer trying to get back into the business, and an old flame of Zach’s. The hopefuls tell their individual stories, hoping to make an impression and become one of Zach’s lucky chosen ones and live their Broadway dreams, however long that may last.

This isn’t a show about making it big, it’s about simply making it through, and being able to stand out from the crowd just enough to earn your shot. It’s a show about characters and stories, stripping away all of the usual fancy sets and stage tricks, and instead letting us get to know these people and route for them, and it works brilliantly because of it. It’s a very “human” musical, urging the audience to care for these characters to succeed as we learn their backstories, in a way that few musicals achieve.

For a musical just short of its 50th birthday, A Chorus Line remains tuneful and catchy, its 1970s roots still detectable in Hamlisch’s score but without making the piece feel dated. ‘One’ closes the show with an earworm of a tune that refuses to leave your brain for days, while ‘At the Ballet’ (said to be Hamlisch’s personal favourite of his own compositions) remains beautiful, as does the stirring ‘What I Did For Love’.

Under the consistently assured direction of Nikolai Foster, Curve’s production is a great night out. Wisely running straight through with no interval, Foster maintains a quick pace and ensures clock-watching stays at a minimum. For a show that could be reduced down to ‘a bunch of people standing in a line’, A Chorus Line is a far richer and more satisfying experience.

Curve’s stage is opened up to its fullest, letting the audience see into the wings and up into the flies. It gives the space an almost overwhelming quality and looms large over the performers below: perhaps a deliberate choice to symbolise how small they are in comparison to their dreams and the size and weight of the theatrical world that they want so desperately to be a part of. Five vertical mirrors are placed at the back of stage which catch reflected light and movement during the dance numbers, adding further depth and energy to Ellen Kane’s brilliant choreography, and lighting design (Howard Hudson) is also excellent (most notably during the ‘One’ finale sequence, where the lighting rig deserves its own round of applause).

Foster has assembled a wonderfully diverse and eclectic cast, which is fantastic to see. As is inevitable with such a large cast, some performances impress more than others, but it feels a stronger overall group than the 2021 cast, with a few excellent returning members. Almgill does well as Diana, particularly in her song ‘Nothing’, as well as taking the lead in ‘What I Did For Love’. Pacifico gives a skilled and touching monologue as Paul, a young gay man estranged from his parents, that slowly breaks the audience’s hearts as he breaks down onstage. Dyer makes for a fierce Cassie and shows steely-eyed determination throughout in her attempt to make the cut, performing the heck out of ‘The Music and the Mirror. Special mention must go to Rance as Mike, who moves like an absolute dream and is a joy to watch, and Thornton’s brash flirtatious Sheila who also makes a memorable impression.

A Chorus Line is a hugely significant piece of American theatre, a wonderful insight into the casting process, and a love letter to ensemble performers everywhere. They may not get star billing or final bows, but they are the lifeblood of the industry, and this piece gives them their moment to shine. The Curve team has tightened up and improved upon their already-excellent production, and it really does shine a wonderful light on this world of theatre that we love.

Rob Bartley