Review: 'A Chorus Line' palpably connects with audience

Is a premium ticket worth it for a musical where performers are in rehearsal clothes, with no scenery and no plotline? Absolutely.

That’s what makes “A Chorus Line” so notable among long-running Broadway shows. It does what theater does best: Offers a thrilling live performance that makes palpable connections with the audience.

N.C. Theatre’s production has rousing dancing and visceral vocals, but the moving dreams and disappointments of the show’s characters are the big payoff.

We’re at final auditions for the dancing chorus in a new show. Director Zach (a fine Nathaniel Shaw) winnows the hopefuls to 17, asking them to tell him something about their lives. Some of their monologues can be hilarious, such as Jonathan Stahl’s sassy Greg, a talented gay man who recounts his outrageously theatrical childhood; and some songs can be slyly sexy, such as Rachel Schur’s perky Val, who sings about having work done on key body parts.

Other interviews can be dazzlingly danced, such as Sidney DuPont’s ball-of-fire Richie, a former basketball player who gave up college for the stage; and Nick Varricchio’s eager Mike, who taps out his years of dance lessons. Their stories also can be heartbreaking, as with Alexander Cruz’s wounded Paul, whose dancing in drag shows causes rifts with his parents; and with Jessica Lee Goldyn’s poignant Cassie, whose defiant dance before a stage-filling mirror and subsequent begging to former lover Zach for a small role are fiercely wrenching.

Mitzi Hamilton, who played roles in the New York and London casts, lovingly recreates Michael Bennett’s original direction and choreography, aided by Edward G. Robinson’s subtle but zingy musical direction and Craig Stelzenmuller’s striking lighting. Hamilton makes sure that every little shift in body language and facial expression communicate the weary desperation of a chorus dancer’s life.

The show plays in one act. Tuesday’s opening lasted two hours and 10 minutes, partially caused by the slowing pace of the last 45 minutes. But all was forgiven when the extended curtain call became the famous glittering kickline, the cast in gold lamé costumes and top hats, singing and dancing their hearts out.

Dicks: music_theater@lycos.com

This story was originally published October 15, 2014 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Review: 'A Chorus Line' palpably connects with audience."