A Chorus Line - Curve / Sadler's Wells / U.K.Tour 2024

Dr Tom It was press night apparently, so you really were lucky to get front stalls.

Telling 17 individual stories from a 1970s Broadway chorus line, there is no real plot narrative or leading performer - and that's fine. There is so much talent in the company that individuals get their moment to shine.

Carly Mercedes Dyer, for instance, gives a spine-tingling moment with ‘The Music and the Mirror', throwing herself around Sadler's Wells' vast stage. She is no stranger to this style of storytelling, having impressed in last summer's Assassins revival in Chichester.

That moment immediately follows another standout juncture of the piece, with Chloe Saunders completely owning the stage with her rendition of ‘Dance: Ten; Looks: Three'. And that is the thing about this production; there are so many wonderful moments and none more so than the company's stunning finale.

However, the show's highs render its lows all the more frustrating. There are some scenes that really drag, momentum building before being snatched away. Foster's decision to use live video projections of the cast proves an irritating distraction, for example. It's a glib comparison to draw upon but the recent Sunset Boulevard revival has set the bar high on that score, leaving Foster's nominal use here looking inferior and inconsistent.

Another continuously jarring choice was for Zach (played by Adam Cooper) to sound so loud and intimidating when talking to the company off-stage. The character's godlike authority seemed somewhat undermined by his more mild-mannered appearances on-stage. Meanwhile, the montage scenes and the way they bend the score to their will is always likely to feel a tad sluggish.

But when the company combined to dance as one, Ellen Kane's choreography was utterly electrifying. The opener ‘I Hope I Get It' set the bar high but, as will come as no surprise, it is the finale where the company finally comes together to perform ‘One' that is worth the ticket price alone. It is a thrilling performance, staged so brilliantly with Grace Smart's set design merging into Howard Hudson's lighting to produce something truly spectacular. The result will live long in the audience's memory, for sure.

Despite the show's flaws, the cast is pretty much faultless. Jocosta Almgill leads ‘What I Did For Love' so beautifully as Diana, while Manuel Pacific delivers an emotional masterclass with his character Paul's monologue. The stories do not always blend together with ease but it is worth remembering these are 17 real-life testimonies from creator Michael Bennett's late-night recording sessions with dancers. The authenticity of the piece shines through.

Three stars.

Hi and has anyone on here been in the show - is the timing/quick change between 'sign the standard contract' and the 'One' intro a real killer. I guess it depends on the wing space and amount of dressers available but it's always thrilled me to see the segue from the characters getting the parts, and the first gold dancers on. Pure theatre. I'd love to be backstage then to witness the organised chaos.

Quite an enjoyable show. Agree with the momentum being really strange at times. Also feel like the camera work was tacked on to chase a trend but a proper camera team wasn't used. That kind of thing can't be done by someone not specialised in it.

STILL would recommend for anyone who get a ticket for say £30 or less.

I do mean that, yeah. 

And interesting to hear that, I didn't know the history. But as an audience member the execution still FELT like it was chasing a trend since it was somewhat poorly executed, even if that is not actually the case like you said. 

Was there tonight and found it a 2 star production of a 5 star show.

I liked the Paul and few of the performances but little about this production worked for me.

The absence of the genius of the show's creator Michael Bennett made it pretty difficult to watch. Bennett's production didn't need cameras, pyrotechnics, moving lighting rigs and dry ice. The original set was minimal as was the lighting. Why? It didn't need it. The strength of show was a perfect book with a top notch score delivered by a cast that kept to the heart of the story.

The choreography was ok but direction much misguided. Placing Zach onstage next to the actors during key critical scenes robs them of their vulnerability and turns expertly written scenes into soap opera level dialogue.

I could go on and on but in short, I couldn't get out of the theatre soon enough. Thankfully, it was better than the abominable film, but not by much.

Maybe this CHORUS LINE works for a newer generation but it seemed built for those who can't concentrate on a single idea/concept for more than a couple of minutes. No heart (expect for a portion of the Paul scene), no soul and actually, quite tacky.

At least it was over within 2 hours and there was plenty of time to walk out on the deck and enjoy the stars before heading to the midnight buffet.

Oh wait.....

Well, that was what it felt like to me.

I got the thinking behind the monologues/camerawork as a theatrical device, but if we are being ridiculously picky and assuming this production is still set in the 70's with it's references there'd be no sign of such video cameras in the rehearsal process.

Several of us made these very points back in 2021 during the Curve run. Some very odd directorial choices for sure. Sounds like they haven’t reconsidered anything, except possibly the wigs may have improved (they couldn’t have got any worse!)

Curve reviews start on page 5 of this thread if anyone wants to see what people thought back then. 

Waiting to see this tonight on tour.

The ushers are telling people that they're welcome to come in and out as it's 1hr55 without an interval.

Am I wrong to think that encouraging this is poor form?

Fair enough - though it's still shorter than many movies these days.

I agree both re Follies but also Chorus Line - it's so tightly written that there is no place for an interval.

I thought this was a good production, though not quite on par with the Palladium production a decade or so ago. This had too much spectacle early on with (albeit impressive) lighting and dry ice, which undermined the ending slightly. And the video screen was completely unnecessary (I liked when it filmed the dancing feet at one point, but otherwise it was a useless distraction). Cast wise very strong - especially Jocasta Almgill as Diana.

One is thrillingly staged - it's one of the greatest numbers in musical theatre and this firework filled staging was a joy. It would've been even better with fewer flying light bars earlier on.