Monday, December 28, 2009
GOTTA' DANCE!!
Today's movie was the documentary
This film covers the casting process for the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line in New York.
Experienced dancers vie for the principal roles and tell a little of their own stories. But not a lot.
It is mostly the process. Good enough, but a bit slow at times and not enough men. OK. I am biased.
It is interesting to watch the archive footage of Michael Bennett who conceived, directed and produced the original production which was the first "workshop" show. That means that the production principals were brought together before the show was written. Songs and stories were sorted out. This technique was the conception of Joseph Papp, the director of The Public Theater.
The film perpetuates the enduring myth that the show was written by the original dancers or that somehow all that is said in the show comes from transcripts of the original get-togethers and workshops.
In fact, the show was written by James Kirkwood, a favorite author of mine, who won a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony and Drama Desk Award for the book of this musical. He worked with Nicholas Dante.
Another myth that is not laid to rest is the fact that Bennett was accused by many of the original dancers of "stealing the show". There were numerous lawsuits. Mostly settled. There was plenty of money to go around as the show continues to play somewhere around the world every day.
Neither of these stories are important to the film I saw today except insofar as Bennett is presented more or less as an icon. An angel looking over the production. it sort of pissed me off.
As to the film it is pretty good. The magic of the show and the music endure. The "kids" who audition are similar in many ways to those original dancers who supplied some of the outlines of character. Some nuggets of lines.
To me, the most interesting part was to watch the jury who still had two of the original principals still vitally active in directing and choreographing the show. They are the most interesting people of all.
Marvin Hamlisch is also on hand to talk about the music.
I could have done with about 15 minutes less of the drawn out auditions but they are very good. You cannot help rooting for some of the people who are trying so hard.
The makers of this film must have rolled "miles" of video to get all of these people, a thousand, who would winnow down to just 17 cast members and a few "covers" or standbys.
They must have had a keen eye for the standouts in that line and in the first hours of the tryouts. A huge, huge cattle call.
I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5. I wouldn't mind seeing it again to watch some of the people who got the roles in the end more closely at the beginning.
Labels: films
