Review-A Chorus Line (12.26.06)

A Chorus Line (Tuesday, 12.26.06, 8:00 p.m.)
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (Broadway)

Starring: Charlotte D’Amboise (Cassie), Michael Barresse (Zach), Ken Alan (Bobby), Brad Anderson (Don), Michelle Aravena (Tricia), David Baum (Roy), Mike Cannon (Tom), E. Clayton Cornelious (Butch), Natalie Cortez (Diana), Mara Davi (Maggie), Jessica Lee Goldyn (Val), Deidre Goodwin (Sheila), Tyler Hanes (Larry), Nadine Isenegger (Lois), James T. Lane (Richie), Pamela Farello (Vicki), Paul McGill (Mark), Heather Parcells (Judy), Michael Paternostro (Greg), Alisan Porter (Bebe), Jeffrey Schecter (Mike), Lisa Ho (Connie), Jason Tam (Paul), Grant Turner (Frank), Chryssie Whitehead (Kristine), Tony Yazbeck (Al)

In the opening number of A Chorus Line, the would-be choristers dance, learning the steps as part of the audition process. There is electricity in the air. The music pumps and sounds fresh and new, the remarkable dancers strut their stuff. One senses something magical is about to happen. I must confess that I was too young to actually see the original cast in the original production, and while I am familiar with the original cast recording, I can’t really compare the revival to the very original. (Though I did finally see the original run in 1987, about 12 years into its original run.) The opening moments lend a sense that the evening is going to bring an emotional high -- the kind that led the original production to become the huge success that it was.

This spanking new Chorus Line, though, never quite achieves that lift and never reaches the emotional heights that one anticipates in those opening moments of the show. To be sure, most of the important elements seem to be there -- excellent dancing, competent singing, and even a few fine moment of drama here and there. But by the end of the evening, there’s clearly something missing. Even as the dancers in this Chorus Line strut their stuff, they seem to be taking all the right steps without actually feeling the emotional pulse of the show.

It’s hard to say whether this is simply a let down from anticipation, or whether there is in fact something missing from this production. I suspect part of the problem is that this Chorus Line attempts to stay too close and too true to the original production. Rather than trying to bring something new and original, the producers seemed more concerned with recreating as much of the original production as possible. Perhaps a fresh take on things would have brought that fresh emotion to make the piece soar.

The producers did at least try to assemble the most able cast possible. The cast certainly looks good, and they dance with tremendous agility. That says, they never seem able to achieve any emotional lift. In the central role of Cassie is Charlotte D’Amboise. D’Amboise is a very likeable, hard-working theatre veteran. She is a consummate and competent performer who seems constantly to be employed, having taken over lead roles in show like Chicago and Sweet Charity, to name a few. She would seem perfect for the role. In fact, she is a better actor than most of the others on stage. She has some nice moments in her exchanges with Zach, and does well in the chorus dance numbers. But for some reason she falls a little flat in her big number -- the Music and the Mirror, with her voice faltering at times and even her dancing feeling a little hesitant. The number is a built-in emotional crescendo, but for some reason D’Amboise is never quite able to make the most of her moment.

Michael Barresse is rather unmemorable as Zach. He comes across as somewhat wooden, though truth be told the character as written spends most of his time off stage and doesn't get much of a chance to really interact with the other characters. The rest of the cast consists of excellent dancers, and where they excel most is in the chorus numbers. But as individual actors portraying individual characters, nobody really registers. Several of the actors struggle a bit vocally, which does not help, and so Hamlisch’s score at times just doesn’t sing the way it is supposed to. Even when they the actors manage to sing acceptably, they often don’t seem to capture the emotional core of the songs. A good example of this is Natalie Cortez’s rendition of “What I Did For Love?”, which, while sweet, never strikes any hits home. Deidre Goodwin is another example of a performer who has tremendous presence, but whose singing of “At the Ballet” does little to enhance her character.

Of the ensemble, Jason Tam, as Paul, comes the closest to achieving his character’s promise, delivering a beautiful monologue which provides the singular most genuine moment of drama in the course of the evening. (I've seen a number of reviews criticizing him, but I found no obvious fault with his performance.) He is the only one (other than Cassie) who truly gets a chance to reveal himself in any meaningful way, and it is probably the emotional highlight of the evening. Also fully successful in inhabiting her character is Jessica Lee Goldyn, who as Val gives a delicious performance of "Dance 10, Looks 3."

As for the show as a whole, it is all competently told, but in the end, this Chorus Line just doesn’t move us the way you would expect. The dancers form the chorus well, but the spotlights on the individual characters seem just a little dim. There are occasional glimpses of something special, but this Chorus Line ends out just being another show with a couple of good ensemble numbers.