Review: A CHORUS LINE, Festival Theatre Edinburgh - Tour
When watching a show, many audience members wonder how the performers on stage got there – what is the process when auditioning for a show? With A Chorus Line, audiences need wonder no further, at least when it comes to the process of auditioning for a show in the 1970s.
The classic Broadway hit takes a peek behind the curtain, following a cast of 17 hopefuls auditioning for the chorus of a new musical, baring their life stories to the somewhat brusque director, Zach (Adam Cooper). As the show progresses, each character gets the chance to share the parts of their stories that can’t be read on a resumé, with some providing comedic moments while others deliver poignant, touching scenes.
The show is a true ensemble piece – with Nikolai Foster’s direction, everyone gets their moment to shine, from Mike’s (Redmand Rance) all-singing, all-dancing, all-flipping ‘I Can Do That’, to Chloe Saunders’ Val sardonically praising the virtues of plastic surgery in ‘Dance: Ten, Looks: Three’, to the vocally stunning ‘At the Ballet’ sung to perfection by Lydia Bannister (Bebe), Kate Parr (Maggie) and Amy Thornton (Sheila).
A special mention, however, must go to Jocasta Almgill and Carly Mercedes Dyer. As Diana, Almgill gets to sink her teeth into the comically bittersweet ‘Nothing’ before bringing the house down with her powerhouse rendition of ‘What I Did For Love’ – her vocals bring new life to a song we’ve heard many times over and reinvigorate Marvin Hamlisch’s already exceptional music. Mercedes Dyer plays Cassie, Zach’s ex-girlfriend, and cements herself as an absolute triple threat with a blistering ‘The Music and the Mirror’, the dance break perfectly framed by the mirrors forming Grace Smart’s sparse yet effective set which gives us a glimpse into the expansive wings of the Festival Theatre.
Speaking of dance, Ellen Kane’s reimagining of Michael Bennet’s original choreography is vibrant, punchy and true to its iconic roots. Not a step is out of place in the big dance numbers, and the true payoff comes in the glitzy finale, ‘One’. With confetti, pyros and sparkly costumes, this is the epitome of a Broadway number, and it really is the quintessential theatrical moment – truly “one singular sensation”.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray
A Chorus Line plays at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre until 28 September, before continuing on to High Wycombe where the tour concludes. For more info, please click here.