A Chorus Line
Tue, 2 Dec 2008, 12:30 pmThomas Stanley13 posts in thread
A Chorus Line
Tue, 2 Dec 2008, 12:30 pmAs a lover of “A Chorus Line” I went and saw Melville Theatres version on Saturday evening the 29th November 2008.
Firstly I have seen several versions of this production and prior to watching this show I was keen to see how Melville was going to hold all of the actors in a "line" across the stage.
My question was answered as soon as the line was formed. There was an absence of 2 characters on stage, and it appeared that 3 male roles had been substituted with females. I guess we all know the struggle of finding male singer/dancer/actors willing to perform without payment. The change of male to female roles seemed to work.
The performances were very mixed. I saw some were outstanding while others were less then impressive. I know this is Amateur, but for a show like A Chorus Line, Dancing and Singing is important. The girl that played Mike (Can't remember her new stage name) was the first soloist performance, and although the acting was reasonable. The Singing and Dancing was disastrous. It was ironic that the song was titled “I Can do That”
“At the Ballet” was well harmonised by the 3 girls, although the taller of the three appeared very nervous throughout and lost focus on a number of occasions throughout the show.
The following solo songs throughout the Montage were well executed although I would have liked to see more fiery personality from Diana Morales.
I think it was a wise decision to add an intermission in this play and an equally good choice to have it at the end of the Montage “Shit Richie” which was well sung and full of energy from the cast.
The 2nd Act started with “Tits and Ass” which I found average. The performer didn’t look comfortable on stage and this number needs such confidence.
The part of Cassie in this show was portrayed more like the movie rather then the stage show which I was a little confused about (Although I did hear after the show that she was unwell so I don’t know if this is why it was different?).
I really enjoyed “One” and the “Bows” I take my hat off to the cast on that one (or should I say, Tip my hat) I know it isn’t easy to get a group of Amateur theatre performers who can dance and all did rather well with the classic “A Chorus Line” style Choreography.
Choreography - Throughout the show was of a high standard and the performers seemed very comfortable with it. Although 2 males (Al and Don – I think) seemed to be a beat behind the others and looked very unsure throughout the group numbers, and the Tap part looked a little unrehearsed.
Singing – A few Bum notes reached by some of the Soloists but group numbers seemed to be carried well.
Acting – I was pleasantly surprised at this. There were some extremely strong work here. Performers that stood out were Paul, Sheila, Bobby and Zak. Some of the other performers really need to watch their accents(I always notice accents).
Sets/Costumes – Basic yet effective
Lighting – I felt could have been better, I found moments where the stage was just not lit enough and therefore some interaction lost. Although I found other moments effective, eg The “Bows”.
I have always disagreed with the ending of this show. I understand that the show is written that the Bow is the chorus staying onstage high kicking however I feel that with Amateur Theatre, The performers don’t get paid. A Bow at the end of the play with audience acknowledgement is their payment. Also the audience always gets confused as they are waiting for the actors to come back out on stage.
I must also comment that a nice touch for this play was that they chose a solo Pianist rather then an Orchestra/band. I don’t know if this choice was made due to lack of room? But it gave a great “Audition” effect.
Over all, an enjoyable night and I am sure that the performances will get stronger before closing night. I wish the cast and crew all the best for the remainder of the run!
Not quite a Singular Sensation, but very entertaining
Wed, 10 Dec 2008, 03:05 pmWalter Plinge
Saw the show on Saturday night and just thought I should add my 50 cents...I think some credit should be given to these performers, who have clearly worked hard and, from what I've been told, haven't exactly had the smoothest run so far, with each night there being at least one performer getting sick or being unable to perform. In the performance I saw, the girl playing Cassie had unfortunately come down with glandular fever and was replaced by the stage manager. I would like to commend this lady for stepping into this role at such late notice and actually capturing the character remarkably well, despite having to read from the script.
Even as the show started I had to remind myself that this is amateur theatre, and therefore some of the obvious flaws could be partially forgiven (though some of the previous reviewers have been less forgiving.)
Generally, I was very entertained and enjoyed the show...I saw another amateur production of the show 6 years ago which I thoroughly enjoyed and to an extent I couldn't help comparing this version to that one.
One thing anyone who sees this show must remember is that for a person choosing to perform in a show like Chorus Line, it's a triple threat - the ability to sing, act and dance is pretty much essential. In both versions I've seen of the stage show, this seemed to be an obvious struggle. Of course in amateur theatre, it is hard to expect a director to be able to find performers who are consistently strong in all three skills. They do exist, but whether they choose to audition for a relatively small amateur theatre company such as Melville Theatre is a different matter. I know I am being brutally honest here but I strongly believe this has been the case.
I won't repeat some of the comments made about the singing of individual performers, though unfortunately I had to agree with them a little... I got the impression that most of the performers had no previous singing training and this showed mostly during the solos (though I wouldn't go as far as to describe it as "disastrous" as one of the reviewers harshly stated.) As an ensemble though, they sounded pretty good.
My first impression of the dancing was fairly mixed. Some of the performers moved well and looked as if they had previous dance training, and others not so well. There seemed to be a few coordination issues...quite often they did not look very in synchronised and were out of time with one another.
The acting, however, was strong across the board - standouts include Sheila, Paul and Bobby. Paul's monologue - a difficult one - was powerful and he really captured the emotions and the heartache very well...we could hear a pin drop. I also enjoyed the solo from the girl playing Diana Morales, she sang surprisingly well and with great enthusiasm. On the whole, the acting was probably what kept the show afloat performance-wise. The script was used effectively - it is a good script to work with - and there were some funny moments which received lots of laughs.
Though she struggled with the American accents, I thought the girl playing Val had a great energy about her (and kudos for choreographing the entire show too I might add!) However I felt a bit uncomfortable with her costume...a yucky orange midriff-baring top with a matching brief is usually going to be a hard one to pull off...whilst I know her character is supposed to be sexy I think something less revealing and more flattering to her figure might have been more appropriate. Again, brutal honesty here and this is in no way an insult to her - she still looked great - actually there were some good choices with stage makeup which worked well as everyone looked awesome on stage. For the most part, costumes were good although as mentioned before a bit anachronistic given that I don't think people wore the Flashdance gear in 1975, when the show is set.
Tech stuff - the lighting was very effective in this show and it looked visually stunning at certain moments, particularly in that final send-off with the three people dancing to the percussion accompaniment - very cool. I felt the Melville stage was a good size, even for the number of performers. The set was simple but this worked.
Just a minor thing - I thought that at the start of the show when everyone is auditioning there is meant to be a significant number of auditionees,and at least a handful of them who are "rejected" while the remaining few who happen to be the main characters are selected for the shortlist. In this version, only 2 people were actually cut, and the rest kept in, and this was fairly obvious. I do realise this is difficult because no one really wants to be in a show for 10 minutes before disappearing, but it seems unrealistic that only two people are cut from an audition whilst the other 17 are kept on.
I think with a bit more confidence this show could grow...all the setbacks the cast and crew have faced haven't made things easy, but it is a test of character and teamwork as well. A show can't always run smoothly but it is the attitude in how you choose to deal with these unavoidable problems that makes the difference to the show in the long run. Only a few shows left now - chookas to everyone and don't lose heart... there is still time to make an good show great.