LONDON PALLADIUM
CHORUS LINE
On July 10th this year a coach full of excited students made their way to London to see a revival of the fabulous musical Chorus Line. As the weather was so gloriously hot we had a picnic lunch in the park and then took a short walk to the famous London Palladium. As we strolled through London's West End streets, famous landmarks such as the house in which Handle had died were pointed out.
The current production of Chorus Line follows the death last summer of Marvin Hamlisch, who wrote the wonderful music. This revival is directed by Bob Avian, who co-choreographed the Broadway production with Bennett and the scenic designs with a bare stage and brilliant use of a backdrop of mirrors are designed by Robert Wagner, who was also on board at the show’s premiere.
The current production of Chorus Line follows the death last summer of Marvin Hamlisch, who wrote the wonderful music. This revival is directed by Bob Avian, who co-choreographed the Broadway production with Bennett and the scenic designs with a bare stage and brilliant use of a backdrop of mirrors are designed by Robert Wagner, who was also on board at the show’s premiere.
A troupe of 23 dancers
is auditioning for a musical. They are whittled down first to 17, and then just
eight as the audition progresses and there is inherent drama in the fact that
the audience is kept guessing as to who will make it into the show.
We watched them learning a big ensemble number as well as telling their life
stories to the director, Zach (John Partridge) in words, song and dance. The
piece was partly based on interviews with real dancers, and sometimes their
words seem schmaltzy or banal. But there is much more that is poignant and
funny.
The show suggests that theatre is both a metaphor for life and a way of escaping it, and there is something genuinely moving about the way it gives an individual voice to performers who are normally just part of an anonymous ensemble.
There are some very good performances. Sadly we did not see Scarlett Strallen who critics describe as movingly capturing the desperation of Cassie, who was once romantically involved with the director, and now longs to be taken back into the ensemble after failing to make it as a star. We watched the understudy who was able to convey the emotions of the scene with some credibility. Her solo performance of the challenging number “The Music and the Mirror” proved to be deeply touching.
The climactic staging of the show’s big number “One” with the cast decked out in glamorous golden costumes rather than rehearsal gear is a glimpse of showbiz heaven. Characters we have come to know individually are suddenly reduced to shiny cogs in the production machine – the fate of all members of a chorus line.
The show suggests that theatre is both a metaphor for life and a way of escaping it, and there is something genuinely moving about the way it gives an individual voice to performers who are normally just part of an anonymous ensemble.
There are some very good performances. Sadly we did not see Scarlett Strallen who critics describe as movingly capturing the desperation of Cassie, who was once romantically involved with the director, and now longs to be taken back into the ensemble after failing to make it as a star. We watched the understudy who was able to convey the emotions of the scene with some credibility. Her solo performance of the challenging number “The Music and the Mirror” proved to be deeply touching.
The climactic staging of the show’s big number “One” with the cast decked out in glamorous golden costumes rather than rehearsal gear is a glimpse of showbiz heaven. Characters we have come to know individually are suddenly reduced to shiny cogs in the production machine – the fate of all members of a chorus line.
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