By Marilyn Jozwik
In decades of seeing community theater musicals, I had never seen “A Chorus Line.”
And after seeing Sunset Playhouse’s production I can see why it is not popular among local groups. The number of top-notch dancers required is daunting.
Maybe for some groups, but not Sunset.
Sunset has attracted a bevy of fine young dancers -- mostly dance or arts majors -- who show off considerable terpsichorean skills in this professional-quality musical.
The 1975 musical features two memorable Marvin Hamlisch tunes, “One” and “What I Did for Love.” The final scene showcases all the performers, bedecked in matching golden spangled outfits, who proceed onto the stage one-by-one to take their final bows. The sight brought gasps from the audience as the dancers filled the stage with brilliance visually as well as talent-wise. Perhaps the most stunning finale I’ve ever witnessed, putting an exclamation point on this outstanding production.
The “Chorus Line” story is a simple one, with complicated characters: A group of dancers is auditioning for a Broadway show. They are a motley crew: tall, short, dark, light from all sorts of backgrounds. All desperately want the job as they describe in “I Hope I Get It.” The show’s director Zach (played by Karl Miller, also the director and choreographer of “A Chorus Line”) puts the dancers through some tough tests with the help of his assistant (Dijon Michelle Kirkland). And you can see these are all some special performers.
The opening looks like a real-time audition with dancers executing Zach’s instructions in small and large groups until their number is winnowed down to 17. At that point, the remaining dancers all line up and are asked by Zach to talk about themselves. This is all beautifully done in dialogue, song and dance.
Diana (Olivia R. Coleman) describes her feelings about an acting class as she sings “Nothing” in a scene from Sunset Playhouse’s “A Chorus Line.”
I very much enjoyed Mike (Dance Captain Clayton R Irwin), the youngest of 12 kids. We learn that he tagged along to his sister’s dance lessons and became hooked on dance. Irwin gave Mike that special something, including a couple of cartwheels across the stage.
Another engaging piece was “At the Ballet,” featuring Makenna Lemke, Abby Bloomquist and Christine Herrmann as Sheila, Bebe and Maggie, all telling about how they grew to love dance.
My favorite was Olivia R. Coleman as Diana in “Nothing.” Ironically, she infuses loads of emotion into her song about her inability to feel anything in an acting class.
All the characters are fleshed out until the audience sees more than just bodies dancing.
Act 2 focuses on Cassie (Vivian Romano), a seasoned dancer who once lived together with Zach, who featured her in several shows. Down on her luck, she is hoping to keep dancing, even if it’s just in the chorus line. In “The Music and the Mirror,” Romano beautifully dances, and sings, “Give me somebody to dance for, give me somebody to show.”
In the most moving scene of the show, Paul, a shy Puerto Rican boy played by Humberto Barraza, is called onstage by Zach, who wants to know more about his motivation to be a dancer. Barraza imbues Paul with a quiet, sincere vulnerability as he tells his story growing up gay. You could hear a pin drop during his mesmerizing monologue.
Connie (Heather Blachowski), from left, Val (Riley Luettgen), Diana (Olivia R. Coleman), Kristine (Olivia Grace Forsyth), Judy (Erica Wright), Sheila (Makenna Lemke), Cassie (Vivian Romano), Maggie (Christine Herrmann) and Bebe (Abby Bloomquist) rehearse for a broadway musical in a scene from Sunset Playhouse’s “A Chorus Line.”
In “One,” we see the difficult dynamic of Cassie, a special talent, having to blend in with the other dancers as they practice a piece for the show. Zach chides Cassie for not wanting to be the star, to which she replies, “They’re all special. I’d be happy to be dancing in that line.”
In the show’s most beautiful showcase piece, Coleman’s Diana leads the dancers in “What I Did for Love,” in which the dancers talk about moving on from their dance passion without regret. What makes this piece so special is that many of these performers are presumably articulating their own thoughts, and the heartfelt honesty shines through.
Mark Mrozek directs a fine horn-heavy orchestra that lets the dancers sparkle, while set, light and costume designers – Katie Johnson, Martin Yates and Lisa Quinn – must be congratulated on a quality show, especially the truly extraordinary finale.
While it is not my custom to mention a cast this large, I feel compelled to recognize all of this fabulously talented cast of dancers who have not already been mentioned: Will Nysse (Don), Heather Blachowski (Connie/Dance Captain), Michael Trimboli (Greg), Jacob Rankin (Bobby), Erica Wright (Judy), Kristopher Davis-Washington (Richie), Daniel Bingham (Al), Olivia Grace Forsyth (Kristine), Riley Luettgen (Val), Luke Wenger (Mark), Isabel Marin Young (Tricia), Summer Alyssa Feil (Vicki) and Maya J. Buffomante (Lois).
It is apparent that they are doing this for love.
If you go:
Who: Sunset Playhouse
What: “A Chorus Line”
When: Through Aug. 4
Where: 700 Wall St., Elm Grove
Info/Tickets: 262-782-4430, SunsetPlayhouse.com