A Chorus Line is still kicking Fox Theatre

by Nancy Larson

Just as it was in its 1975 debut, the new touring production of A Chorus Line, recently on stage at the Fox Theatre, is still all about the numbers.
Five, six, seven, eight! Twenty-five performers, soon narrowed to 17, then to eight, all dance their hearts out, hoping to become the “One Singular Sensation” heralded in the musical’s iconic song.

Now, as then, it’s a cast in which no one — and everyone — is a star. The brilliance of the story, the dialogue and the songs is that we grow to care about each one as they succumb to director Zach’s urging to talk about their lives, their thoughts and their aspirations.

Haughty Sheila’s father was distant and philandering. Sultry Cassie once had star potential but now she’d give anything just to be back in the chorus. Timid Paul left home at 14 and made his way doing drag. We learn that for many of these characters, dance is an escape. “Everything is beautiful at the ballet,” sing several women who, as children, found happiness, beauty and belonging as they gazed up at the grown-ups in tutus.

Like an omnipotent father figure, mostly heard but not seen, Zach is firm but gentle with this vulnerable ensemble. After Paul dissolves in tears during his own touching, but slightly long soliloquy, Zach steps down from on high to put a reassuring arm around the young man.

But it is the dancers’ irrepressible can-do attitude that dominates the show. Their contagious passion pours out of their strong, limber bodies as they move in unison or alone. I’m sure I wasn’t the only audience member tapping my toes and shifting my shoulders to the music.

Though A Chorus Line does explore serious issues like child neglect, unemployment and failed relationships, its overriding message is one of optimism: When you’re doing what you love, it’s worth the sacrifices along the way.