'A Chorus Line' doesn't miss a step
by Sujin Shin
Justice Staff Writer
Arts | 11/10/09
Posted online at 1:22 AM EST on 11/10/09
It's been a bit of time since I've started writing reviews for the Arts section of the Justice. By now, I've slipped into a pretty stable and reliable reviewing routine. I sit as close to the middle of the auditorium as possible. I turn off my cell phone and unwrap my soothing lozenge before the show begins. I make three columns on my sheets of notebook paper: Staging, Themes/Symbolism and Performers. Throughout the show, I take a lot of time to scribble on my papers; I take note of striking visuals, write down names of actors and just comment on the show in general. This universal scheme of annotation has always been helpful when I sit down to type out my thoughts. But Tymphanium Euphorium's production of A Chorus Line was an exception. My pages are almost completely bare, my columns without any filler. This is the first time a theatrical performance had so completely captured my attention that I couldn't pull away during the whole show to put my pen to paper. Needless to say, it was fantastic.
The concept of A Chorus Line is ingenious. By circling around a dancing audition process, it taps into a well of emotion that most other shows can't. All actors have had to face its subject material before-most of the cast probably felt the same sentiments auditioning for this show as well. Some people can't really pull off being a heroin-addicted druggie, a fledging opera star or a cat as some other shows may require. Those are unknowable characters, and some actors fail at reaching beyond themselves to depict the character (that's how we get the Keanu Reeves version of Dracula). But all performers have had to go through the harrowing audition process before. All have had to deal with the crushing and unforeseeable future of their professions. All have had to search, or plead, for acceptance by their parents. And because the story is so real for each actor on the stage, each portrayal feels raw and honest, without a trace of the unfortunate woodenness of premiere-night performers. Kudos to director Johanna Wickemeyer '12 for using this great resource to create a tender depth in the show.
The concept of A Chorus Line is ingenious. By circling around a dancing audition process, it taps into a well of emotion that most other shows can't. All actors have had to face its subject material before-most of the cast probably felt the same sentiments auditioning for this show as well. Some people can't really pull off being a heroin-addicted druggie, a fledging opera star or a cat as some other shows may require. Those are unknowable characters, and some actors fail at reaching beyond themselves to depict the character (that's how we get the Keanu Reeves version of Dracula). But all performers have had to go through the harrowing audition process before. All have had to deal with the crushing and unforeseeable future of their professions. All have had to search, or plead, for acceptance by their parents. And because the story is so real for each actor on the stage, each portrayal feels raw and honest, without a trace of the unfortunate woodenness of premiere-night performers. Kudos to director Johanna Wickemeyer '12 for using this great resource to create a tender depth in the show.
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