THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410270055
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, THEATER CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
``A CHORUS LINE'S'' secret weapon is heart.
In the best of situations, this is a show capable of wringing you out and sending you from the theater in the throes of emotion. For a musical, it is unique; as a theatrical experience, it is a true classic - running on Broadway a record 18 years.
The present production at Chrysler Hall is not the best of situations. Produced by The North Carolina Theater, and brought in as a curious pick-up, it is only a notch or two above the amateurish versions that have been tried at local dinner theaters.
Yes, there are individual performers who are directly on target, but overall, this production lacks the edge that makes ``A Chorus Line'' a dance-or-not-dance cliffhanger. The trauma of these dedicated dancers, a group of ``gypsy'' performers who reveal their lives and careers just for a job - just to be in the line - doesn't come through with the degree of tension required.
The treatment is too sweet, too laconic and, above all, too cajoling. Marvin Hamlisch's score, while pleasant enough, was never the selling force of ``A Chorus Line.'' The show must soar on the strength of its drama and its dance.
The first inkling of trouble comes within the opening moments. That opening number should be among the more stunning moments in all theater - a knockout of energy and dance. Immediately, we should know that the competition is fierce, the dedication total. There cannot be a weak dancer on stage. There are several here.
The ``hidden'' orchestra, in this case, deserves to be hidden. As always, the illusion of an audition is meant to be enhanced by keeping the orchestra out of sight. To attempt a score and production of this magnitude with a four-piece ensemble is foolhardy. The smallness of the sound is distracting.
Still, ``A Chorus Line'' is a show, and a premise, that will not be denied. There is that moment when our heart goes out to these performers. We root for them all the way. These are the folks who won't settle for the 9-to-5 jobs. They know they'll never be stars. They just want to work.
It is unlikely that ``A Chorus Line'' will ever net an outright ``boring'' performance, including this one. The reason is the show itself can be played in so many different ways. It is a show that will be performed long after we are gone, a 20th century classic.
The standout here is Eric Paeper's tearful reading of Paul, a young man whose sexual orientation has made him the source of ridicule and bias. Paeper knows it's a great role, too. So does this director, because Paeper is given time to milk it to the extreme, complete with real tears. It works. Handkerchiefs were being pulled out all over the theater.
Wanda Richert, a singer-dancer who carved out a place in Broadway history with her creation of Peggy Sawyer in ``42nd Street,'' portrays Cassie, the potential star who is too good for the chorus line. It is a dangerous role. Richert has her moments but falls short with ``Music and the Mirror,'' which should be the show-stopping number. Perhaps a long layoff and this short tour are the reasons.
Jan Leigh Herndon is not nearly arch and brittle enough for the sexy Sheila, the aging hanger-on. The ``I Can Do That'' number, which should get things off to a breezy and energetic start, is listlessly performed by Scott Spahr.
On the other hand, Gina Philistine is a singing dynamo, both with the satirical ``Nothing'' and in leading the throng through the show's most well-known ballad, ``What I Did for Love.''
If you've never seen ``A Chorus Line,'' it should, by all means, be added to your theater experience. This version, however, is at best only serviceable. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Wanda Richert stars as Cassie in ``A Chorus Line, which is playing
at Chrysler Hall through Sunday.
by CNB