“I hope it get it…I hope I get it…”
Based upon the stories about the lives and experiences of Broadway dancers, A Chorus Line brings together those “unsung heroes’ of the theatre” - The Chorus – as they audition for a part in a Broadway show.
Having had my own personal experience dancing the finale ‘One’ combination many, many years ago (too many to put in print), it was a trip down memory lane to be able to review this production of a childhood favourite musical.
The Spotlight Theatre Company, celebrating their 10th year, are a theatre school providing opportunities to experience drama, dance, singing and technical theatre. The hard work and dedication that comes from loving your trade is apparent in this production.
Set around 1975 a group of young hopefuls’ audition for Zach, a choreographer and director, looking for a small group of “4 and 4” (4 boys, 4 girls) for an upcoming Broadway show. Zach is notorious for his hard audition style, keeping dancers from the early to the wee hours until he finds his perfect combination and Liam Hall, portrayed Zach’s serious no nonsense attitude really well. Spending most of the time off stage, his voice carried well.
Bethany Wear was hilarious as the ditzy Kristine Urich, very believable and natural in the comedic role, in contrast to Matty Collins’ emotional playing of Paul San Marco, a shy dancer struggling with his identity.
The dance routines and lyrical numbers were full of meaning and power. Ellie Monterosso, as Diana Morales, performed a moving ‘What I Did for Love’ which brought in the rest of the ensemble and was a standout number in the production. The harmonies and timing of this number were tight and the emotion of the audition and the life of a performer rang out.
The production and sound, whilst a little off at times, didn’t deter from the performance and the band did a brilliant job playing the memorable array of music and timings.
The iconic finale routine was done as the closing ‘Bows’ and gave the audience the chance to applaud the individual actors, who all deserved the cheers and whistles.
There has been some serious graft put into this show and it’s amazing to see such talent coming out of our Notts!
A Chorus Line was at Nottingham Playhouse Friday 7 and Saturday 8 July 2017.
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