Joyous Step a Singular Sensation
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, nine Tony Awards and countless more honors too numerous to talk about here, “A Chorus Line” is easily one of the most honored productions in all of Broadway lore. For a while it was the longest running show in New York history, legendary choreographer and the man behind the original concept the late Michael Bennett’s baby running for 6,137 consecutive performances before finally closing on April 28, 1990.
Dancers take to the line in Sony Pictures Classics' Every Little Step
Granted extraordinary access the likes of which Broadway has never allowed before, documentarians Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern (The Year of the Yao) go behind the scenes of the recent revival of “A Chorus Line” with their new work Every Little Step juxtaposing the real life stories of dancers trying out for the show with both the original production and the extraordinary 1970’s recording sessions between Bennett and his friends that inspired it. The film is the ultimate reality showcase, the inherent human drama of success and disappointment as thin as the iconic white line drawn across an empty stages floor.
There is so much that held me captivated here. Listening to Donna McKechnie, the first woman to play Cassie, and Baayork Lee, the original Connie as well as choreographer of the 2007 re-staging, talk about those late night recording sessions with Bennett are fairly amazing. Their continued connection to him is absolutely palpable, and looking into their eyes as they spoke to him was as emotionally moving as any fictional cinematic moment I’ve seen this year.
I also loved watching all of the dancers pull out everything inside their magnetic bag of tricks in order to try and get cast in the show. In many ways, this movie is like the anti-“American Idol” in that, unlike those early episodes of the popular reality television series, none of these first auditions are put up for mocking or ridicule. Del Deo and Stern celebrate the performers, whether they make the final casting call or not, showing their passion, desire and their talent even when they don’t quite have that mysterious ‘it’ factor the show’s revival producers are looking for.
But the real big deal here are those original recording made by Bennett and his friends almost four decades ago. So much of “A Chorus Line” is taken from them just about verbatim. From Paul’s first steps as a female impersonator, to Sheila’s unwavering passion inspired from familial hardship, all of the show’s most memorable monologues and moments can be traced back to those early late night chats inside a New York apartment.
It’s almost hard to believe no one has ever thought to make this movie before. Considering how many theatrical productions of this work have been done all over the world throughout the past 30-plus years, juxtaposing those actually trying to be cast against the fictional story of dancers trying to be cast in a Broadway production seems like a no-brainer.
Be that as it may, thanks to their intimate, seemingly no-holds-barred access and the willingness of so many performers to bare their souls to them Del Deo and Stern have managed to make a documentary that’s both spellbinding and rapturous. Much like “A Chorus Line” itself and like Marvin Hamlisch’s unforgettable songs and score Every Little Step is a singular sensation everyone is going to adore, and like a stage filled with imagination and magic it’s also one movie I can’t wait to see again.
Film Rating: êêê (out of 4)
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