Long Beach's Music Theatre West, King of Broadway Musicals... Offers Up A Spectacular Grand Classic "A Chorus Line"

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A Chorus Line:  Music Theatre West (MTW), Outstanding In Productions Of Broadway Classics, Serves an Irresistible "A Chorus Line"

By: Joseph Sirota

Talk about a "Perfect-Fit"; Here, it is! If you love a truly Great Broadway Musical, and doubly love 'em when they're performed by 1st-rate talent (both on-&-behind impressive creative staging) ... and if you loath driving for hours then search for parking -- Here's a current truly outstanding classic musical offering that meets all these "WANTS". The MTW (Music Theatre West), here in Long Beach's handsome Carpenters Performing Arts Center has been achieving Top Broadway Quality productions for 6 decades, & is doing it again right now. MTW's current Great Broadway Musical, is one of the most unique & powerful Broadway legends, A Chorus Line. Indeed, it's even more than a great musical; it’s a living piece of American cultural history. Premiering in 1975, the show was created by Broadway gurus (Michael Bennett & colleagues) initiating pondering of what made dedicated, talented performers work so hard, and keep trying, even when they seemed "stuck" in the chorus line, rather than climbing to a lead in the center spotlight. Oh, yes, they also found it more amazing that a Chorus dancer's devotion ran into a far from easy or well-paid chance of even getting a chorus role. Add to that, the fact that it became harder to keep on dancing yourself into happiness, as your age-&-physical ability simply made "time/age" a bitter enemy, too.

The devotion found in these chorus stalwarts turned out to be so fascinating & revealing a peek into humanity, that the Musical A Chorus Line was launched on the very Broadway Stage it had been studying. The personal stories & inner-drive, gathered in their insights went into the Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, with music by the great Marvin Hamlisch & Lyrics by Edward Kleban. The multi-crowns of "Creator" & original Director/Choreographer, stayed with Michael Bennett himself. The question was , "Would audiences be interested and moved by this riveted focus Behind-The-Scenes"? Would the gathered "Chorus Storyline" music, songs, & above-all, Spectacular Dancing win audiences' hearts? I assure you the box-office spoke loud & Clear(a 6,137 performance run set new records). As for the stage industry "judges"-- the show also won Nine(9) TONY Awards in its Musical category (including the Top-Tony Prize of BEST MUSICAL. Broadway answered by ovations. Record books & folklore declared it platinum. Above all, Chorusline was deemed more than a grand musical hit.

Far rarer, Chorusline won “THE PULITZER PRIZE” (highest excellence in DRAMA). So, we audiences truly do care about the personal lives, hopes, fears, dreams, & inner drives of these not yet (or never?) STARS who give us Their ALL! So do come see this musical giant for yourself. You'll also be seeing a fine Play, uniquely done by each character telling their own life tale. The set isn't a flashy Broadway collage of huge sets & glitzy costumes(at first). We find the set presents an empty, but mirrored theater’s bare stage (particularly striking given the usual magnificently glamorous MTW/Carpenters venue). We find Zach, a role combination a producer/ director/ choreographer & drill sergeant. He’s simply dressed for movement -- as are the nervous, excited 17 dancers there for a tense audition/casting-call. Each hopes & prays to win a place in the chorus line for a new Broadway musical approaching rehearsal. It’s make-or-break,(Be a rare star or starved? Once Zach starts questions, each life story answer stands amidst sizzling toe-tapping, electrifying dance moves and striking vocal songs we enjoy from overture to legendary signature finale “ONE”. Other Songs like “I Hope I get It” & “I Can Do That”, "T & A", “At The Ballet”, "Sing", “Hello12-Hello13-Hello Love”, “Nothing”, "Mother", "Gimme The Ball", “Dance:10-Looks:Three”, “The Music & the Mirror” & the gem, of hearts “What I did For Love” are comically-to-poignantly emotionally sung to us, painting oft painfully hard journeys each dancer faced.

By its very nature, A Chorus Line is the essence of a team/ensemble triumph. Sadly, space curtails saluting each member of the superb HUGE cast (huge in talent/diversity as well in number). I’ll just be able to note a few show highlights in an evening of “All-Highlights”, "All Spotlights" & "All-Star" performers (actors/singers as well as ALL FINE DANCERS!) Chuck Saculla creates Audition “Boss” Zach with strong credibility. He strikingly captures the tough, demanding exterior of a hands-on “general” who, in life, places the show’s success above all. Important to the play, Saculla, creates a master of identifying talent, yet also is a man injecting some “heart & caring" for each hopeful candidate, though he must send most away with only a thank-you & good-luck. Chryssie Whitehead shines as “almost star”, Cassie(adult), coming back for a job in the chorus to pay her bills & keep her love of dancing alive. Whitehead stands out in acting, a pivotal solo dance, signature moves & vocal delivery. Tory Trowbridge – is supercharged as young Val, a self-reinvented “bombshell” who describes having to add a “lusty and busty” side before anyone would even consider her musical gifts. Ayme Olivo delivers key featured vocals/ musical peaks – notably, “Nothing” & “What I Did For Love”. Still, it’s the unique individuality, coupled with uncanny ability to merge into fine-tuned teamwork by EACH & EVERY CAST MEMBER that makes this production of A Chorus Line a superbly casted, don’t-miss event, as well as living up to the ongoing, demanding standards of a MTW' production of an American Classic like the great A Chorusline. Here are the cast "ALL-STARS" of this memorable production: Frank K. Barber, Venny Carranza, Carlin Castellano, Quinten Craig, Preston Diaz, Marisa Field, Amy Gilbert, Camden Gonzales, Kristen Lamoureux, Theresa Murray, Sabrina Olivieri, Jane Papageorge, Adam Pellegrine, Steven Rada, MarcoRamos, Andy Rogers, Sherisse Springer, Timothy Stokel, Momoko Sugai, Daniel Switzer, Matthew J Vargo, Jon M Wailin, Louis A Williams, Matthew Williams. Again, there are only stars, in this particular Chorus! -- It's well worth seeing for yourself.