BWW Reviews: Austin Encore of Theater Under the Stars' CHORUS LINE is Wrinkled & Crooked

Late in A Chorus Line, the brassy Sheila states, "God, when it's over do I need a drink!" I hear ya, girl. Judging by the guy to my left who spent the show playing on his phone, the woman to my right who was more interested in her bracelet and the musician in the pit who I saw reading a book, I'm guessing the bar will be crowded.

As the first show of The Long Center's inaugural Broadway Season, A Chorus Line is a huge disappointment full of missed opportunities. Though the same production and cast got rave reviews from BroadwayWorld and this blogger on the Houston Chronicle's public forum when staged last week in Houston's Miller Outdoor Theatre, something must have happened during the trek between Houston and Austin. When A Chorus Line is done well, it is a raw, authentic, emotional show, and a strong production like last year's staging at the Georgetown Palace just outside of Austin makes it easy to see why the original Broadway production ran for 15 years, broke countless records, and won 9 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize. If the Theater Under the Stars production opened on Broadway in 1975, I doubt any of us would even know about A Chorus Line today. It is so joyless, emotionless, inauthentic, and sleepy that you're bound to leave the theater (even I can't believe I'm saying this) wanting to rent the slightly less atrocious 1985 film version.

Conceptualized by famed Broadway director Michael Bennett, the celebrated musical tells the story of a group of 17 dancers auditioning for a new Broadway show. The director informs them early on that half of them will get the job and half will not, and to help him decide who to cast, he asks them to share their personal stories, hopes, and fears.

There are a few clear successes of this production, though all can be attributed to work done nearly 40 years ago. Bennett's concept is still bold, and his choreography (recreated by Director/Choreographer Mitzi Hamilton) is still fresh, exciting, and wonderful to watch. It's also pleasant to see recreations of the original set by Robin Wagner, original lighting design by Tharon Musser, and original costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge. Aesthetically, this production comes as close to the beloved original production as it can. Of the design team, the only failure is of sound designer Dennis Craig and the rest of the sound team. The orchestra often drowns out the cast, the microphones pic up more background noises and costume rustlings than they do voices, and there are more missed mic cues than you'd find in a High School production. To call the sound team amateurish would be an insult to amateurs.

Unfortunately the cast isn't much to write home about either. Any Chorus Line fan who's seen Every Little Step, the documentary about the Broadway Revival's audition process, may remember choreography Baayork Lee instructing her dancers to be so tough and emotionally raw that they could "eat nails." Well let's just say that no one in this production will need a tetanus shot. While the cast is more than capable of handling Bennett's demanding and challenging choreography, none shine as true triple threats, and many can handle the technical demands of the choreography but fail to put any emotion behind it. At times you think, to paraphrase one of Chorus Line's more famous lyrics, "God, I hope they'll get it," but they never do. All of these characters have moments where they can shine and showcase their unique personalities before they are ultimately asked to sacrifice their individuality for the uniformity of the chorus. Instead of giving unique, personal performances, most of the players turn in bland, mediocre, and unmemorable ones. You should root for everyone to get the job. Instead you root for no one. At times you may wonder if any of them care or want the job, if any of them would rather be somewhere else, and why the director hasn't sent them all out the door.

Still, there are some that are slightly better than the rest. Alissa LaVergne is great as Sheila, the sexy, sarcastic diva of the group, and Kristen Paulicelli is strong as the plastic surgery-loving Val, though at times you wish both would go further with their roles and have even more fun. As Diana, Selina Verastigui showcases her beautiful voice in "Nothing" and "What I Did for Love," but her acting isn't nearly as strong as her singing. I'm still puzzled why Verastigui plays Diana as an optimist when one of the first memorable moments for the character is a song about her stubbornness and lack of emotion. Jordan Fife Hunt is a similar mixed bag as Paul. He's believable and captivating through most of the infamous Paul monologue, but his breakdown at the end is completely artificial and tarnishes the moment.

But it's Jessica Lee Goldwyn as Cassie that has the most problems. We're arguably supposed to root for Cassie more than the rest, and yet here she seems to be the first one who should be discarded. Goldwyn dances the character's signature "Music and the Mirror" with her mouth open the entire time, her singing is shrill and off key, and her acting is terrible. Her inevitable confrontation with the director is so rushed and out of breath that it's difficult for us to understand.

The direction by Mitzi Hamilton doesn't fare better than most of the cast. What she's given us is a black hole that sucks the joy and excitement out of the material. Even moments that are typically breathtaking highlights of the show, such as "Music in the Mirror" and "What I Did for Love," get the throw-away song treatment. While it's clear that Hamilton has recreated Bennett's original staging and choreography to the letter, there's much more to being a successful director/choreographer than blocking and dance steps. Where is the story? Where is the character? Where is the energy? Where is the emotion and heart? It's not even clear if Hamilton understands that this is not really a show about dancers. It's a show about unemployed people who happen to dance. The universality of the themes and story seems completely lost on Hamilton. She has clearly bit off more than she can chew, and her vapid production is a disservice to the Tony and Pulitzer winning material.

While A Chorus Line should be an incredible evening of theater that pulls you in and engrosses you with intensely personal stories of what it means to be a dancer, what it means to be unemployed, and what it means to be human, this production sadly misfires. I know other reviewers hand great things to say about this production, but to quote Diana, "I felt nothing."

NOTE: Recommended for mature audiences only.

Running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes including one 20 minute intermission.

A CHORUS LINE plays The Long Center at 701 W Riverside Drive, Austin, 78704 now thru Sunday, July 28th. Performances are Thursday 7/25 at 7:30pm, Friday 7/26 at 8:00pm, Saturday 7/27 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sunday 7/28 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm. Tickets are $29-$74. For tickets and information, go to www.thelongcenter.org

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