J.R.

Bloomer

History of Musical Theater

Dr. Tim Baxter-Ferguson

September 28, 2017

Reader Log Outline

Book:

Musical Title: A Chorus Line

Music: Marvin Hamlisch

Lyrics: Edward Kleban

Book: James Kirkwood, Jr.

Nicholas Dante

Performance History:

A Chorus Line was a result of serious collaboration. The creators interviewed a bunch of

chorus members, and taped these sessions, and from that the book and libretto were formed and

reworked in a series of workshops. Some of these original gypsies ended up playing

themselves in the show, and others ended up playing people who werent themselves, while

some werent cast at all. The original Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on

July 25, 1975. It ran for 6,137 performances, and was the longest running musical in history until

it was overtaken by Cats. The show was revived on Broadway in 2006, and was nominated for a

Tony for best revival.

Critical Reception:

This show made a huge impact when it opened on Broadway, and all aspects of the show

were praised, especially Michael Bennetts involvement. Clive Barnes of the New York Times

said, A Chorus line is still one of those musicals you will be singing about to your

grandchildren. It is an occasion of joy, an affirmation of Broadway and a smoke signal to the

world. He also added, Mr. Bennett has taken the microcosm of a chorus line, and made it the

macrocosm of a generation.

Memorable Quotes:

Gone

Love is never gone

As we travel on

Love's what we'll remember

This song really stuck with me after watching the musical. It is beautiful and ehartwrenchingm,

which made it very memorable. This song is one of those songs that has been covered by a lot of

popular artists as well.

Goodbye twelve

Goodbye thirteen

Hello love..

This entire montage is the most memorable p-art of the music for me. Every single

character got a little highlight, and each characters individuality shone through. Its a lot of
character exposition, but done in a fast-paced way. With 17 characters, would have been

concerned if they went through each character one by one and had them recount their past.

Summary:

A Chorus Line revolves around a group of dancers auditioning for parts in a chorus line. The

director, Zach, makes each of the auditionees talk about their lives. One girl talks about how she

cant sing. Another talks about how she bought implants to get parts. Paul talks about his

childhood, growing up gay and working drag. It is revealed that one auditioner, Cassie had a

previous relationship with Zach. He doesnt want to hire her because he thinks shes too good to

be in a chorus line. During a tap sequence, Paul falls and hurts his leg and is taken to the

hospital. All the dancers reminisce about what theyd do if they couldnt dance anymore. The

dancers discuss this, and then the final eight are cast.

Themes:

Becoming a part of something bigger than yourself is honorable: Zach criticies Cassie for

wanting to be back in the chorus line, a faceless nameless peice of set dressing. Cassie remarks

that it would be an "honor" to be one of them. These chorus members are ruthlessly singled out

in this audition process. No secret is too personal to be bared for the ruthless Zach, all to be a

part of something bigger than themselves. Being a part of a collective, the chorus members are

competitive, but understand the pain of their fellow man. Being one of them would be

"honorable."

Sexual Orientation: The gay characters are presented frankly and honestly. This show was one of

the first to feature gay characters on a way that destigmatizes the stigma of being homosexual.
The character Paul describes his childhood and struggles with his sexuality in his youth. The

musical also features two gay characters.

Why:

This show deserves its place in history as an honest and frank depiction of an overlooked

group of people. These chorus member's stories are rarely told, or even noticed. The way this

musical was formed is very important. It was kind of done on the fly, with interviews of real life

chorus dancers. The book and music was written around these interviews.

The show's depiction of gay characters was groundbreaking. They weren't comic relief.

They were honest, frank depictions of gay characters. For that reason, I feel like this musical

definitely deserves its place in history.

Musicals in the 70s were kind of dominated by Sondheim musicals and rock musicals.

While Sondheim shows are usually initially flops, they become beloved with time. Rock

musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar came, and while these musicals were usually very

successful, A Chorus Line's success was kind of unprecedented.

The show is weird, and was put together in a weird way. There was something about this

musical, however, that really resonated with audiences. It became the longest running Broadway

musical for many years, and I think this is to do with its frank depiction of show business

without all the glitz and glamour. These were real people's stories being told, and something

about that just made the musical land well. Plus, it's about a show (or I guess audition) within a

show, which people love.

Compared to a lot of the shows we've read, A Chorus Line is very different. It is a far cry

from the likes of Oklahoma. The show is told mainly in one setting, and its gimmick is that its an
audition for a show and all these dancers are competing. It's very much a dance show, but not in

the same way as something like West Side Story.

Reader Response:

I really enjoyed A Chorus Line. It is certainly not my favorite thing we've read for class,

but I love it all the same.

Its music is weird, and the score's tone is kind of inconsistent. There are some musical

motifs that tie the whole thing together, but a lot of the music is very different. The score is not

as good as Fiddler on the Roof or Man of La Mancha, but the show has some great songs. "What

I Did For Love" is my favorite from the show. It's absolutely gorgeous. To me, a lot of the show

felt like one didn't necessarily need amazing singers to pull it off, but then this song happened

and the whole ensemble came in with this beautiful harmony that was just gorgeous.

Where the show really shined and held my attention was the non-musical moments,

honestly.Paul's monologue had me transfixed. Cassie and Zach's turbulent relationship, while

melodramatic, was an interesting plot thread in what kind of felt like a plotless musical. There is

definitely an arc to the show, though, and I genuinely did not want to see any of these dancer,

who fought for their lives for this audition, not get cast.

Speaking of the plot, there are like 12 million characters, and I can barely remember any

of their names except for certain ones. I do specifically remember a lot of their individual traits

though. There was the one who was almost a kindergarten teacher, the short one, the one who

couldn't sing and her husband, etc. The show definitely does a great job establishing these

characters as individuals.
 In conclusion, I really enjoyed this show. While its music wasn't absolutely amazing in

every aspect, its characters and themes are what kept me interested and made me really enjoy the

show.