January 2012 Review by Sally Jo Osborne
A Chorus Line
Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL does it again with a remarkable performance of "A Chorus Line". One Singular Sensation it is! Thank you, Tim Rater (Executive Director) and Jim Corti (Artistic Director) for bringing this great show to us. "A Chorus Line" was conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Tony Award winning Michael Bennett way back in the 1970's.
Presently, Director and Choreographer Mitzi Hamilton is doing a fabulous job at bringing us back to 1975, and the backstage drama of becoming part of "A Chorus Line". Mitzi has an extensive history with this show, in fact she was the inspiration for the character of Val who performs "Dance: Ten Looks: Three" and performed the role in the original London Company and then went on to Broadway. She has directed over 35 productions of "A Chorus Line" throughout the world.
As if that is not enough to get you there, the cast is filled with talent and the show was flawless, regardless of all of the challenges that an 8 inch Chicago snow storm brings. Although it started late giving orchestra members and audience members alike time to get there, upon arrival everyone was ready to go! The show must go on, as they say!
When
17 dancers audition for only 8 parts that are available, we get an
in-depth look, thanks to Zach (Luis Perez), who challenges each
dancer to be truthful and humble with his straightforward attitude to
find the right dancers for his show. This is an emotionally
charged, entertaining and inspiring show. He has the passion
and discipline to get the chorus to tell him who they are and why
they want to be a dancer and did a great job doing so.
Each dancer tells a tale, some sing them, and some are very moving monologues. Either way they are entertaining and the audience is enthralled. There are so many great musical/dance numbers it is just like I remembered it when I saw it on Broadway in the 1980's. Cassie (Jessica Lee Goldyn) was amazing in "Music and the Mirror". Diana (Pegah Kadkhodaian) was terrific in "Nothing" and "What I Did For Love," and I really liked Sheila (Kristina Larson-Hauk) in "At The Ballet" ("Can the adults please smoke?"). This girl has attitude! I played Sheila way back in the 90's in a community theatre version of this show and it was truly memorable and so much fun! All of the actors were great in this show.
Zach asks, "What do you do if and when you can't dance anymore?" This is a thought provoking question with a lot of different answers. Find a way to do something different could be an answer. Success takes work no matter what we do and the truth is always larger than life. We need to be true to ourselves before making an impact on others and throughout this show we find truth. The black box stage transforms into a phenomenal Broadway stage for a spectacular ending number, "One". You must see this show. It could be life changing for you. I know it was for me. "A Chorus Line" plays through February 5, 2012 at the Paramount Theatre. Photo credit: Liz Lauren. For more information on this show, please visit the Theatre In Chicago A Chorus Line page.
About Sally Jo Osborne
Sally
is a native Chicagoan who has appeared at various Chicago theatres
throughout the years. She has performed at Circle Theatre in
Forest Park with roles in "Evita," "Hair,"
"Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Shrubtown".
She performed with The Malibusch Players in "Little Shop of
Horrors" and played her favorite role of Sheila in their
production of "A Chorus Line". She fell in love with
live theatre at the age of 12 when she saw her first play,
"Grease" at the Mill Run Theatre.
Sally graduated from The Players Workshop at Second City in Chicago and has completed coursework within Second City Writer's Workshop. She particularly enjoyed the challenge of writing and performing her own material. A financial planner by day, Sally resides in the North Shore area and she is very passionate about theatre. She plans to share the magic of the performing arts with her young daughter with hopes that Ella will teach her how to play "Angry Bird" on her phone. Chicago Stage Style is excited to share her enthusiasm and unique point of view with audiences of all ages and to make the performing arts a valuable and important asset to generations both present and future.