Every Little Step
May 31, 2009
4 stars out of 5
This is a documentary about the casting of a Broadway revival of Chorus Line. In order to enjoy it, you have to care a lot about Chorus Line and Broadway. Otherwise, I'm sure it would leave you quite cold. On the other hand, I can't imagine anyone walking in to see it that didn't care about both.
Chorus Line has had a special place in my heart since I went to see it in the summer of 1976 (it opened in 1975). I took the train down from Hartford where I was working for UPI. To the best of my recollection, I saw the show with the original cast. I found it deeply moving. The take-away message, for a 24-year-old, was follow your bliss, no matter the cost. Since my life has turned out really well, I'd have to say that lesson mostly worked out, although there were times in my past when it seemed dumb to follow my heart instead of my head.
If you know the story of the play, much of this will seem familiar. Chorus Line is based on 12 hours of interviews Michael Bennett conducted with a group of Broadway dances in 1974. The film plays back some of that audio tape, highlighting the moments when the famous lines from the play were first spoken. If you've never been in show business, or known anyone in that line of work, the heartbreak of the audition process can be hard to take. But it is illuminating, enthralling and engaging. This is truly a peek into a world most of us will never visit.