Amongst the many hundreds of Broadway musicals that have graced the Great White Way, very few can be truly acknowledged as groundbreaking. But A Chorus Line, set to be performed at the Valentine Theater on February 2, definitely falls into that description. Productions that are regarded as unique or special or truly “one for the ages” are indelibly imprinted in not only the collective memories of those who saw them, but also by those who have an interest in the history of the modern theater.
Whether or not we have left as strong a mark on the world stage when it comes to plays as other countries have (how dare we try to compete with Chekov, Brecht, Shaw and Ibsen!), America has the world market cornered when it comes to the musical.
Until the late 1920s, popular theater entertainment consisted of operetta (preferably of the Offenbach or Gilbert and Sullivan variety), burlesque, the “Mulligan Guard” series (farces which played on racial stereotypes), the musical productions of George M. Cohan and the Princess Theatre shows.
In 1927, Show Boat arrived and changed the world of the Broadway musical forever. A musical had arrived with more dramatic play elements than comedy. Filled with tenderness and high drama, it set the stage for a revolution in the art of the Broadway musical.
Since then, very few musical plays have taken bold artistic steps toward the possibility of a greater, richer, more profoundly entertaining American Musical Theatre … but the ones that have earned a place in our consciousness.
Shows like Of Thee I Sing, Oklahoma, West Side Story, The Fantasticks, Hair, Rent and more recently Spring Awakening have advanced the art of the American Musical and taken it to a new level.
But one show that was left off the list above continues to be revered in ways that can only be described by saying “tread softly, you are walking on sacred ground.” Its legions of fans throughout the world recognize the simplicity of staging, complexity of emotion and the universal truths embedded in one of the longest running hits in Broadway history: A Chorus Line.
The irony of A Chorus Line is that it was never meant to be a musical ,let alone a true Broadway success story. In 1974, dancers Michon Peacock and Tony Stevens in taped interviews with dancers hoping that they would form a professional dance company to create workshops. But between Director Michael Bennett, Producer Joseph Papp and their creative team (including Composer Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away just last August), The show set a high water mark for what the musical could be by becoming the longest running show in Broadway history — a record that lasted until 1997.
Despite a pretty lousy movie version, the stage version of A Chorus Line is recognized as one of the greatest musicals ever written. It is about theatre and so must be seen in a theatre (and not one of the cinematic variety). With new productions scheduled this year for Scotland and London’s Old West End (akin to our New York’s Broadway), A Chorus Line returns to Toledo’s Valentine Theater on Saturday, February 2 for two performances.
You would do well to see A Chorus Line while you still can in all it’s fully-orchestrated, huge-mirrored and fleet-footed glory. It’s a great show, but if you don’t trust me, try asking the more than 6.5 million people who saw it on Broadway in it’s original production.
A Chorus Line will be performed at the Valentine Theater, 410 Adams St., on Saturday, February 2 at 3pm and 8pm. Tickets are $43-$63. For more information, call 419-242-3490 or visit www.valentinetheatre.com.
