Reagle’s A CHORUS LINE is a Singular Sensation

 

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston’s first musical of their historic 50th season is “A Chorus Line”, the 1976 winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is a musical based on the lives and experiences of Broadway dancers. Original director/choreographer Michael Bennett wanted to do a show with the spotlight on the class of performers known as gypsies. The action takes place in an empty theatre, on a bare stage, where the casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete.

For 17 dancers, it is a chance of a lifetime. It’s the one opportunity to do what they always dreamed of, not only to be a star but to get a job, the chance to dance. Through a series of interviews from funny to heartbreaking, it ushers the audience into the lives of these dancers until the final 8 are chosen. The original show opened on April 15, 1975 and ran 6,137 performances, closing on April 28, 1990. Director/choreographer Leslie Woodies, who starred as Cassie in the national and international tours of the original Broadway show, directs and recreates the original Tony Award winning choreography of Michael Bennett. Leslie creates a topnotch version of this show with her talented cast and the fabulous musical direction of Dan Rodriguez is the crowning touch to this show as they create a Broadway caliber musical in Waltham, MA.

This version is performed without an intermission and it flows along beautifully. From the opening montage to the final kick line, the wonderful choreography comes forth one number after the other. Leslie does a superb job with her hard working cast and gives each cast member their moment to shine in the show. She blocks the show beautifully especially “Hello 12, Hello 13″ number which won the longest applause. Leslie makes the most of the comic moments with some of the funny one liners supplied by an uncredited Neil Simon as well as the comic songs ”Sing”, “Nothing” and “Dance Ten.” However it is her skill with the dramatic moments that stand out especially the confrontation scene between Zach and Cassie which is riddled with tension, leaving you breathless at its impact. Also the stunning monologue by Paul at finally being accepted by his father, and the emotionally draining “What I Did for Love” sequence which tugs on your heartstrings and gives the show its emotional and poignant backbone to satisfy the appreciative audience. Leslie’s assistant director and choreographer is Lauren Gemelli who is filling in for Sheila on Press Night and is also currently on tour with the National Company of “Chicago.” Dan supplies the music direction for the show, having taught the cast the songs and conducting a splendid 16 piece orchestra. He obtains marvelous harmonization from the cast.

 

 

This talented cast is lead by Scott Wahle as Zach, the director/choreographer of the show within a show. His physical presence onstage with the dancers and his strict omnipresent control of them is superb as is his confrontation scene with Cassie and his consolation scene with Paul. Scott handles both the comic and dramatic scenes perfectly. Kirsten McKinney returns in triumph back to Cassie which is one of her best roles and in which I reviewed her 15 years ago at the Orpheum Theatre in Foxboro which Leslie also directed. Cassie is Zach’s ex-girlfriend and he can’t understand why she wants to return to the chorus line after ten years. She explains her motives in the breathtaking, exquisite “The Music and the Mirror” solo number. Cassie shows Zach why she wants to return to Broadway after all these years. Kirstin’s best dramatic moment occurs when she finally stands up to Zach bullying her during “One” where they are learning the dance for the first time. Bernie Baldassaro, a fantastic dancer plays Zach’s assistant choreographer, Larry beautifully.

 

Sydney Parra shines in the role of Diana. She makes the most of her dramatic and comic scenes. Her comic song “Nothing” leaves them rolling in the aisles as she sings about her terrible improv teacher, Mr. Carp but also leaves them in tears at the emotional anthem of the show “What I Did For Love” with the harmonic balance of the chorus blending perfectly during it. Makai Hernandez is wonderful as Paul. He is not only an excellent dancer but actor and vocalist, too. Makai’s voice soars in his “Who Am I Anyway?” and he delivers a gut wrenching and heartbreaking monologue about being molested at the movies as a little boy. He eventually becomes a drag queen at the Jewel Box Theatre where he is seen by his parents on his closing night and is finally accepted by his father for who he is. His father tells the producer to take care of his son, the first time his father ever called him son. When Makai breaks down in tears, the audience cries right along with him, winning him thunderous applause at the close of the scene.

 

 

Ashton Lambert does a terrific job as Mike with the opening solo number “I Can Do That” where he performs a brilliant tap dance. Mike explains how he took his sister’s shoes to dance class one day and became the dancer in the family after that. One of the most comic performers in this show is Lauren Gemelli as Sheila, the bitchy 30 year old diva. (Even though she’s only covering the part for this performance, she makes the part her own.) She has some of Neil Simon’s best and cutting one liners which all win many laughs. Lauren uses a sultry voice in her singing, too. She, Victoria Bird as Maggie and Suzi Weisberg as Bebe sing the touching number “At the Ballet” which tells about their tough family life while growing up and how they escaped from it at their ballet dance classes. Both Victoria and Suzi display their soprano voices in this number. IRNE Award winning actress Aimee Doherty plays Sheila at all other performances and I know she’ll do a bang up job in the role having reviewed her in it. Another hilarious role is Val played by Ansley Speares who sings and dances up a storm in her tits and ass number “Dance 10, Look’s 3.” She is a gorgeous blonde with a strong belting voice that pours out into the audience and as Val garners many laughs with her colorful language, too. The married couple Al and Kristine are well played by Thomas Doelger and Charlotte Hovey. Their song “Sing” is very funny as the audience learns that Kristine can’t sing so Al has to sing her answers for her which leads to much laughter.

 

Other comic roles include Bobby played by tall, red haired Matthew Uriniak, who tells anecdotes about spray painting a friend silver and breaking into people’s houses to rearrange their furniture, Greg played by James Spencer Dean who changed his name because he is Jewish and went through puberty with a hard on, Judy played by Emma Clinch who loses her number near the start of the show and the youngest dancer, Mark played by Evan Pouch. He has funny lines about gonorrhea and does a great job dancing, too. Two other cast members doing a good job are Taavon Gamble as Richie, the basketball player who wants to be a kindergarten teacher who does a great jive dance and solo part in “Hello 12” and the shortest member of the line Connie played by Cindy Tsai who does a hilarious tap dance in the last montage. Paul Watt-Morse plays Don, the married dancer who tells a funny story about a stripper called Lola Latours with big boobs. Kudos to everyone who makes this a musical to be very proud of at the start of this historic 50th season. So for a fabulous version of this award winning show, be sure to catch “A Chorus Line” in Waltham before the cast dances their way out of town for good. Tell them Tony sent you.

“A CHORUS LINE” (7 to 17 June)

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston, 617 Lexington St, Waltham, MA

1(781)891-5600 or www.reaglemusictheatre.com