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ON STAGE DAYTON REVIEW: A Chorus Line (Beavercreek Community Theatre) – What They Did For Fun

March 8, 2013 By Russell Florence, Jr. 6 Comments

Beavercreek Community Theatre - Chorus LineOverreaching can be precarious in the topsy-turvy world of community theater, especially when an organization has to live up to iconic material. A recent case can be found at Beavercreek Community Theatre where James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante, Marvin Hamlisch and Ed Kleban’s 1975 Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Chorus Line” receives a bizarre treatment.

Director Doug Lloyd, who rarely missteps when staging musical theater, startlingly assembles a jarring hodgepodge of clashing ages, skills and sizes for this classic look at aspiring hopefuls longing to join an upcoming Broadway musical. Each dancer’s wonderfully insightful background remains attractive as always, but the sheer legitimacy of their world, including the critical proficiency to appear as viable Broadway-caliber dancers, is totally amiss here, cheapening the show’s legacy and intent. In fact, the awkward costuming appallingly suggests the show takes place at some point between 1975 and 2013. It also doesn’t help matters that the pre-recorded use of Hamlisch and Kleban’s dandy score, including such gems as “At the Ballet,” “Nothing,” “What I Did for Love” and “One,” sounds so thin and distant you’d think it was playing in a car stereo in the parking lot.

As for the cast, only Mick Merkle (Larry), Tina de Alderete (Diana), Joshua Hughes (Mark), Sandra Hyde (Sheila), Matt Curry (Richie), Lisa Glover (Connie) and Akayla Crawford (Maggie) walk away marginally unscathed. Matt Owens, who hardly dances even in the crucial opening number, particularly barks and bellows his way through his one-dimensional portrayal of director/choreographer Zach, who has difficulty grasping the job-hungry desperation of his former flame Cassie (an uncomfortable, reserved Kristan Stanforth who truly struggles in “The Music and the Mirror”). Lloyd’s ensemble, attempting Stacy Gear’s Michael Bennett-inspired choreography to the best of their abilities, also includes Lindsay Sherman, Maggie Carroll, Danielle Kubasky, Meagan Kuchan, Brian Kester, Ben Douglas, Nicholas Sutton Brown, Mike Stockstill, Anthony Fende, Gary Watts, Jordan DuVall, Ryan Garner, and Allison Willardson.

I’ve no doubt Beavercreek Community Theatre greatly admires “A Chorus Line.” However, the troupe fails to present it realistically. They haven’t gone as far as to stage an all-black version of “1776” but authenticity matters.

“A Chorus Line” continues through March 10 at the Lofino Center, 3868 Dayton-Xenia Rd., Beavercreek. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. The production is performed in 120 minutes without intermission. Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for students and seniors. For tickets or more information, call (937) 429-4737 or visit online at http://bctheatre.org

 

 

Filed Under: On Stage Dayton Reviews Tagged With: A Chorus Line Article, Akayla Crawford, Allison Willardson, Anthony Fende, Beavercreek Community Theatre, Ben Douglas, Brian Kester, Danielle Kubasky, Doug Lloyd, Gary Watts, Jordan DuVall, Joshua Hughes, Kristan Stanforth, Lindsay Sherman, Lisa Glover, Maggie Carroll, Matt Curry, Matt Owens, Meagan Kuchan, Mick Merkle, Mike Stockstill, Nicholas Sutton Brown, Ryan Garner, Sandra Hyde, Tina de Alderete

About Russell Florence, Jr.

Russell Florence, Jr. is a member of The American Theatre Critics Association and The Drama League. In addition to his role as arts and culture editor of Dayton City Paper and theater critic for Dayton City Paper and Impact Weekly, he served as a Dayton Daily News freelance writer and editorial page contributor. He has also written features for such theater publications as Spotlight Ohio and The Sondheim Review. Over the past 25 years, he has seen over 1,000 shows locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally encompassing New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Toronto, Madrid, and Rome among other destinations.

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