Review by Graham Parry
Returning to the Village Theatre after their successful run of Absolute DIVAs earlier in the year, Studio 32 presented their production of "A Chorus Line" - a challenging show with catchy numbers
In order for this story of a group of dancers all fighting for a place on the chorus line of the next big show to work, the choreography had to be slick and stylish and performed with great attack and ability.
Choreographer Julie Brown set down a very high standard with challenging and entertaining numbers from the opening right through to the finale.
The performances were mixed in this 30 strong cast - and this was the ultimate problem with this production.
To successfully pull off "A Chorus Line", you need an entire cast of fantastic dancers, singers and actors and this production struggled to live up to this expectation.
Saying that, there were some very nicely judged performances in the cast.
Kevin Mooney's Paul was a highlight - successfully capturing the character's emotional struggle. Lauren Ophaug's Val was played with great energy and a beautiful bitchy quality, and I loved Karen Smith's Kristine - this actress displaying her excellent comic timing in a very funny role.
There were also very well supported by the talents of Kathleen Latimer, Lee Dunnachie and Craig Smith - the latter in a beautifully subtle performance as the director Zach.
At times, the pace and energy of the musical dipped but this issue can be sourced back to the structure of the piece which has the entire cast on stage in a line for the majority of the show. This led to the stage being too crowded and the action between numbers becoming too static.
However, the talented band - led by the strong musical direction of Julie Campbell - managed to keep the audience engaged.
Studio 32 should be praised for tackling a challenging piece of musical theatre history, which was clearly enjoyed by the audience in attendance. |
