A Chorus Line 2024 UK Tour | A Leicester Curve Production
Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante | Music by Marvin Hamlisch | Director: Nikolai Foster
The Lowry | 25 July 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
...5, 6, 7, 8! The stagiest of stagey musicals ‘A Chorus Line’ has embarked on its new UK tour. I had planned to see this production in Edinburgh later this year but it was on at The Lowry when I was in Manchester and the tickets just jumped into my basket. I have no idea how that happened!
'A Chorus Line' offers a glimpse into the punishing audition process dancers are put through time and time again in the hopes of earning a place in a Broadway show. It underlines the tenacity and stamina needed by anyone who wants to pursue a career on stage. As the 17 performers are put through their paces by a demanding Director (Adam Cooper) they each reveal a little of their backstory and why they are auditioning, again, to be in the ensemble. It’s a reminder that you never really know what’s going on in someone’s life... or behind their smile.
The action of 'A Chorus Line' takes place on an open, empty stage which exposes the vastness of the space and all the inner workings of a theatre. I love the set design from Grace Smart who somehow manages to add notes of interest to the bare stage so that it never feels empty. It's fascinating.
The lighting from Howard Hudson is incredible and goes a long way in transforming "the rehearsal space" into a Broadway stage for the final number, but which also adds so much interest through the entirety of the show. I loved the great use of darkness and shadows - 'A Chorus Line' is simply a stunning show to look at for any fan of the theatre.
The songs are good and varied, from the frenzied opening "I Hope I Get It" to the beautiful "The Music and the Mirror" and "What I did for Love," and the fun and playful "I Can Do That" and "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three." The show stopping "One" is so catchy that it will make you want to get up and high-kick along with the company on stage.
The characters are all interesting. Everyone will have their favourite auditionee or role they can relate to most; and that's something unique about 'A Chorus Line' - there are so many 'lead roles' and so many storylines there will surely be something for everyone.
The UK Tour cast are all great. The majority of the show is set during the audition process itself and, as you would expect from a cast playing veteran Broadway dancers, they are all true triple-threat talents. It's a joy to watch them perform.
Standout for me was Redmand Rance who has the most stunning technique and oozes charisma. I was entirely unsurprised to read that he played Billy Elliot in the West End: always a sign of a superstar in my eyes! (Billy Elliot, another dance-led musical, is my all time favourite show - it's perfect.)
Mireia Mambo also impressed; she is surely destined to play the lead in Tina one day soon. Carly Mercedes Dyer is as wonderful as ever as Cassie, the performer who’s too good for the chorus line. And Adam Cooper's Director is suitably demanding and imposing. The direction from Leicester Curve's legendary Nikolai Foster is, as expected, flawless and I particularly enjoyed the decision to have Cooper's Director weave amongst The Stalls, calling up to the performers on stage as if in the midst of a real Broadway audition. Inspired.
Dance is of course one of the main aspects of 'A Chorus Line' and one of the main draws for me. The company is full of exquisite dancers; Casting have done a fine job of securing the best dancers in the UK here. The choreography from Ellen Kane strikes the perfect balance between fresh and modern, and classic broadway jazz hands. The almost 50 year-old show does not at all feel or look its age.
'A Chorus Line' is a single act show of around 1 hour 50 minutes and that feels about right. By the time the show-stopping glitzy finale came around 'One' (Singular Sensation) I was ready for it; the big ensemble dance number had been teased a few times and I just wanted to see them dance it! It was well done but I can’t help feel that anyone who saw this and only this number at 'The Big Night of Musicals' or on 'Britain's Got Talent' may expect the whole show to be like that. And it’s not. The preceding 1 hour 40 minutes is a stripped back, almost intimate examination of battled-scarred and seasoned dancers hoping to dance one last time. I was enthralled for every stagey second of it, but I can see how it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catch 'A Chorus Line on tour across the Uk now.
📸 production photos: Marc Brenner
A Chorus Line UK Tour Cast
Adam Cooper Zach
Jocasta Almgill Diana Morales
Lydia Bannister Bebe Benzenheimer
Bradley Delarosbel Gregory Gardner
Archie Durrant Mark Anthony
Carly Mercedes Dyer Cassie
Joshua Lay Al Deluca
Katie Lee Kristine Urich
Mireia Mambo Richie Walters
Kanako Nakano Judy Turner and cover Connie Wong
Manuel Pacific Paul San Marco
Ashley-Jordon Packer Larry and cover Paul San Marco
Kate Parr Maggie
Rachel Jayne Picar Connie Wong
Redmand Rance Mike Costa
Chloe Saunders Val Clarke
Toby Seddon Bobby Mills
Amy Thornton Sheila Bryant
Louie Wood Don Kerr
Yuki Abe Ensemble and cover Kristine Urich & Judy Turner
Fin Adams Ensemble and cover Mark Anthony & Mike Costa
Katrina Dix Ensemble and cover Sheila Bryant & Bebe Benzenheimer
Imogen Rose Hart Ensemble and cover Diana Morales, Maggie Winslow & Richie Walters
Laura Hills Ensemble and cover Cassie & Val clarke
A Chorus Line 2024 UK Tour dates and Tickets
Wed 31 Jul - Sun 25 Aug | London Sadler’s Wells
Tue 27 - Sat 31 Aug | Norwich Theatre Royal
Mon 2 - Sat 7 Sep | Canterbury Marlowe Theatre
Tue 10 - Sat 14 Sep | Birmingham Hippodrome
Mon 16 - Sat 21 Sep | Cardiff New Theatre
Tue 24 - Sat 28 Sep | Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Mon 30 Sep - Sat 5 Oct | High Wycombe Wycombe Swan
A Chorus Line review, UK Tour 2024, The Lowry Theatre Salford, July 2024, Leicester Curve production.
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