A Chorus Line [VIC]

After never listening to the cast recording or even watched this musical before, I walked in with zero expectations. In short, I thought the production was everything that it was meant to be. The dancing was brilliant and the comic timing of many of the characters distracted me from the boring and plain stage (notice that I didnt mention the singing?) Although, the large mirrors used were stunning and followed smoothly between songs. For a show that I have never really had any interest for I really enjoyed the performance, but the best part was the discovery of the 'restricted' seating in the dress circles. Unless you are a midget or prefer to sit upside down, these seats were amazing value at only $50! The poor soul sitting next to me paid an extra $30 for the same view! If you want to get you moneys worth (because after watching, the only money that seemed to be used was to pay the actors) these seats are nothing less than awesome.

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• 0 votes

I agree, that the heart and soul of this show are indeed the life stories of these dancers and that's what makes this show touch your heart- that connection that you make with these characters. The simplicity of the storyline is what makes it so accessible to anyone who has ever danced. For me the standout characters were Diana, Sheila and the dancing of Ritchie was phenomenal. I was a little disappointed in the performance of Cassie. I thought it was lacking something and although her character is supposed to be the strongest dancer, I didn't feel that this came through in her performance. The Montage in this show is always a winner and there was a great energy coming from the stage. I thought the dancing was somewhat stronger than the singing, but nevertheless, this show gets me everytime. I laughed, I cried and I would definitely go again. One singular sensation.

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• -1 votes

I'm stunned by those people commenting that they didn't like the stories of the dancers. It is the heart and soul, in fact the point of the show. The irony of the ending is obviously missed on these people who probably just enjoyed it for the razzle dazzle. Sigh. But the most gobsmacking comment is the one about Paul's monologue no longer being relevant. Apart from it being a seminal moment in the show, it is a break-your-heart moment that does not fail to move - on any level. I am hoping these comments are from young people brought up on too much reality television. I agree with Shane. Maybe a little research into the show, its origins and just how groundbreaking it actually was, would not go astray. It reminds me of many years ago when parents complained after taking their children to see the film of Kiss of the Spiderwoman thinking it was a Spiderman film.

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• 3 votes

I recently saw it in Melbourne and didn't like it. The opening scene was good with Josh Horner, but we didn't see much more of him (Zac was a loudspeaker for most of the production). The final scene was good but it went too quickly. There were too many boring bits in between with Dancers telling their life stories that no one cares about. When the character Paul was injured as part of his role, was stayed on the stage for another minute whilst we listened to people calling for first aid and an ambulance. The show came across as a low budget school production, yet some people payed over $100 or more to go to see Actors squeeking. The show could have focused on professional dancing which is what I went to see.

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• -6 votes