"A Chorus Line" by The Cast.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

"A Chorus Line" is based on true manuscripts of original chorus line auditions, the monologues and stories will bring a smile to your face as well as get you angry and sad at, at least one of the revelations. You feel the pain and the heartache at the rejections for various reasons on behalf of the dancers, especially Cassie who is one of the older ones auditioning.

Centred on seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line, the musical is set on the bare stage of a Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical. "A Chorus Line" provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. You really feel their hunger.

The show opens in the middle of an audition for an upcoming Broadway production. The director Zach, and his assistant choreographer Laurie, put the dancers through their paces.

Every dancer is desperate for work. After the next round of cuts, 17 dancers remain. Zach tells them he is looking for a strong dancing chorus of four boys and four girls. He wants to learn more about them, and asks the dancers to introduce themselves. With reluctance, the dancers reveal their pasts.

The play itself is a rare one as there are no principals, no special costumes to speak of, until the end scenes, and next to no scenery apart from some large mirrors. The simplicity of the play belies the complexity of the storylines.

You buy into the background stories of the dancers in the auditions, but there's one particular dancer whose story is quite heart tugging, and you could have heard a pin drop on a carpet while Paul, played by Arden Caspar-Jennison, told his story. A really emotional performance, even without the use of his mic working for that section. In a way this showed just what really good projection Arden has. I was sat near the back and heard every word. This also amplified how silent the packed theatre was at this time.

Emily Mae Corner plays Vickie, who has not had any ballet training nor done any Broadway shows. 

Lottie Ludlow plays Lois, a ballerina who is able to get through the ballet combination but not the jazz combo.

Robert Stott-Marshall plays Don Kerr, a ladies’ man, married, and into cars, money, and women. Very sure of himself and the all American guy.  Don is quite cocky because he has worked with Zach before.

Sara Evans-Bolger plays Maggie, a little sister type.  A bit of a dreamer nut a fairly experienced dancer. Sara performed one of my favourite songs from this musical, "At the Ballet".

Anthony Beaumont-Mills is Mike, a determined, cocky, sure of himself, but likeable tap dancer who worked with Zach before. He is experienced and very flirtatious.

Andrea Osborne plays Connie. A bit of a mother hen with a great sense of humour.

Greg Gardener is played by Rob Charles. It is really good to see Rob back on stage and this role is right up his street as it is fun, sassy and full of confidence. Greg is a gay Jewish man who has worked with Zach before. By Rob's own admission, he is not a natural dancer, but that is not evident in this production and is a match for any of the other dancers. Rob has a scene where he "gives up" on the ballet section, but does so with such comedic affect, he brings a gentle comedy to the scene.

Shannon O’Donnell is Cassie. Cassie is returning to the chorus after years of being a featured performer. She is having to humble herself to audition for the chorus again with younger and less experienced dancers. She's previously had a relationship with Zach and it did not end well but she is not looking for favouritism. Zach tries to be professional in his role but can't resist trying to get the answers to what happened in their past. Shannon's voice sounds incredible when she sings another favourite from the soundtrack "The Music And The Mirror".

Bobby is played by Lu Anthony. Flamboyant, funny and witty, adjectives that could describe both Bobby and Lu. Bobby though is very sharp tongued and covers everything over with a joke. Bobby, we discover, also had a very hard childhood. Lu is a fantastic dancer so this role is made for them.

Sascha Cornelius plays Bebe who is very insecure about her looks and tries to be funny to cover her insecurities. She feels a little excluded but just wants to be liked. She is quiet, vulnerable and kind.  Sascha sings the middle harmony in "At The Ballet". The three voices blend so beautifully together, it was almost like listening to the soundtrack through big speakers. A real treat.

Emily Rebecca Owen plays Judy who is quite nervous and slightly awkward, except when she is dancing

Lenny Antwi is Richie. Enthusiastic, cool and very funny. Likeable and laid back. I remember seeing Lenny a couple of years ago in "Fame Jr" where he played Tyrone and noted what a good dancer he was then. As Richie, he brings great energy and athleticism to the line up.

Robert McAuley plays Al Deluca. Al is from the Bronx so he is street tough, macho. He is newly married to Kristine and likes to showcase his new wife but is very protective towards her. We get to hear some very strong vocals from Rob, and also highlights his musical timing skills with the song "Sing" with Kristine.

Charli Twyford plays Kristine, Al’s scatter-brained wife who can’t sing. She is awkward, anxious and hilarious. I know Charli can sing, so to perform the role of someone who can't sing must have taken some getting into, but she made us believe with some lovely comic moments.

Lydia Thacker plays Val. Sassy, funny and foul-mouthed but an excellent dancer who couldn’t get performing jobs because of her looks until she had plastic surgery. A brazen, direct, attention-seeker who gets to perform "Dance 10 Looks 3"

Owen Patten plays Mark, an optimistic first-timer; naïve but charming. Behind that naivety and charm there's a great dancer. 

Lilia Scattergood plays Diana, a streetwise Latina who is a little bit tough, and eternal optimist. A determined and athletic dancer from the Bronx. Lilia performs another one of my favourites from the soundtrack, "Nothing" as well as the song that most people will know from this show "What I Did For Love", which sent the hairs on my neck stand to attention. Totally spine tingling.

Laurie, Zach’s assistant who teaches and demonstrates the audition dances, is played by Molly Parkinson. 

Zach is the director and choreographer of the show for which the dancers are auditioning. He is a stage veteran and therefore can be curt and harsh, but he is reveals a caring and empathetic man who grows to care about the dancers. Played by Christopher Grantham, who also directs "A Chorus Line", you hear Chris long before you see him as he makes his entrance down the central stairs of the auditorium, but we also get to see a swift dance move near the end from the Director!

Sian Scattergood-Grantham plays Sheila, one of the older dancers in the line. She is confident and sophisticated with a sense of humour. I mentioned the three way harmonies in "At The Ballet", and Sian completes that triangular tuneful treat by singing the lower harmony.

Musical director Ben Ward, assisted by Charli Twyford, creates a classy and tight musical backdrop, sometimes musically lurking behind the monologues and then bursting into life to give a powerful and rousing backing to "Chorus" favourites like "Nothing". "I Can Do That", "One" and of course "What I Did For Love". The whole sound of the soundtrack immediately sets the timeline for the 1970's which is quite comforting because while sounding of the era, it's really nice to hear that the arrangements have not been updated too much as to make it sound anything later than the seventies. It places you right in the middle of the time zone, like a musical time machine.

Sian Scattergood-Grantham choreographs the show, sourced the costumes and sewed every rhinestone on to the final outfits. This show, obviously, is a dance sensation, so Sian had to get this spot on, and she succeeded with great aplomb. I loved the big tap dance number, and this section was timed perfectly, showing the hard work that the cast themselves invested in these sequences. Every dance scene was magically executed, highlighting these actors' flair for dance and showcasing Sian's talents for choreography. That in itself is no surprise to me as I know what a boon Sian is to any dance company.

Sound design and operation is by Dave Dallard, and apart from Lu's mic going on and off and Arden's big speech not amplified; both of these I think may be due to an intermittent mic pack and nothing to do with sound operation. When this happens there's nothing that a sound operator can do. that aside the sound was beautifully balanced and mixed.

Lighting design is by Chris Grantham, so not only does he direct an incredible production, he creates a brilliant light show. What I especially like about this lighting design is the use of back lighting the stage so that the lights are behind the cast. With the mirrors for a back drop, this means that their reflections are highlighted so we get to see them from every angle. The waves of light also pin spot the individual characters when focus is needed for any one character, draws your attention in.

The set is also the design of Chris Grantham.

This musical is a modern classic which will touch your every emotion, proof of that is the standing ovation that this cast received at the end. It is also a strenuous show to perform as it's performed straight through - just over two hours - and the majority of the cast are on stage for the length of the show. The various dance styles also, while looking amazing, will leave a lot of the cast with muscles that will ache for a while after the show comes to an end, but what a workout for those muscles, and more strings to these actors' already multi-stringed bows.

"A Chorus Line" is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 23 March. If you only see "One" show this week, see this one, as it'll provide you with far more than one singular sensation. It's not just dance that gets a ten from me, it's tens all round!

Photos by Martin Holtom.