| re: ACL |
| Posted by: Revned 11:27 am EDT 07/01/21 |
| In reply to: re: ACL - JereNYC 11:07 pm EDT 06/30/21 |
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Before I directed A CHORUS LINE for the first time, Bob Avian advised me: “It’s not about showbiz. It’s about the truth.”
Michael Bennett said the inspiration for the show was in part a reaction against the “falsehood and apathy” of the Watergate hearings. He told the New York Times: “I wanted to do something on stage that would show people being honest with one another.”
Under the pressure of needing the job, the dancers are asked to open up about their lives. All of them eventually come through, even the ones who resent being asked (Sheila) or are afraid to talk (Paul). They bravely put themselves “on the line.” That’s why the show is so moving. They respond with tremendous courage and candor—as did the dancers at the all-night rap session that inspired the show, a life-changing bonding experience for those who where there. The show is Bennett’s tribute to the grit of Broadway dancers: their integrity and honesty.
Clearly America today is even more rife with cynicism than it was in the seventies. But to suspect that any of the characters in the show are lying in the stories they tell is to miss the spirit and the point of A CHORUS LINE. |
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