Theater 101: A Chorus Line

C., my colleague and source of theater info, said the current production of A Chorus Line is nearly identical to the original Broadway classic of the mid 1970s. C. viewed this as a minor negative; I didn't. Since I never saw the show before, my theater experience last night was a class in remedial theater.

My friend G. and I sat in the mezzanine, great seats for a full stage view. The set was simple, just a backdrop of floor-to-ceiling mirrors that pivoted around for a 360 view of the dance numbers. There was nothing else but a white line on the dance floor.

Three or four of the songs had permeated my brain sometime during the 80s and I got a little thrill when I recognized the first notes of a familiar tune. The show dragged for me only once when dancer Paul went on a bit too long with his childhood tale. Diana, my favorite cast member, was the smoothest dancer. She sang the vocal solo in What I did for Love.

Unfortunately, someone in my row kept coughing and worse, it was me. I tried hard to cough only during the applause, but I would feel the tickle in my throat rising every few minutes. I could stave off the cough for a bit with a sip of water, aware that I was capable of ruining the experience of the ardent woman next to me.

She softly tapped every beat on her thigh and mouthed every word of every song. She often led the applause and I wondered how many times she had seen the show.