Cult Flops - A Chorus Line

Columbia Pictures, 1985
Starring Michael Douglas, Alyson Reed, Sharon Brown, and Terrance Mann
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban

We remain backstage, but move ahead a full half-century to a very different Broadway. The tale of dancers relating their lives at an audition was one of the biggest stage hits of the late 70's, running for over fifteen years. Is it "one singular sensation" on the big screen as well, or should it have been cut at the audition? Let's head to the Mark Hellinger Theater in New York, just as an audition for a major Broadway show is starting, to find out...

The Story: We follow a group of dancers as they audition for chorus slots in choreographer Zach's (Douglas) new show. Zach asks the group of finalists to tell them more about their lives, how they decided they wanted to become dancers. As they talk and sing about their experiences in the theater, Zach's ex-girlfriend Cassie (Reed) arrives late to the audition, but she does manage to get in. Zach's not happy to see her. She was a star dancer for a while, and she's really too good for the chorus line...but all she wants is a chance to dance, just like all the others.

The Song and Dance: And the song and dance is the primary interest here. There's some great numbers, including the glittery extended finale. Some decent performances among the chorus dancers too, especially sweet Jan Gan Boyd as ageless Connie Wong, Vicki Fredrick as veteran dancer Sheila Bryant, Gregg Burge as energetic "Surprise, Surprise" dancer Richie Walters, and Cameron English as gay dancer Paul San Marco.

Favorite Number: We begin well with a driving "I Hope I Get It" as the groups of auditioning performers are whittled down, including some passages not heard in the original show. Audrey Landers, despite not being a dancer, still has fun with "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three," on why she decided to have plastic surgery done and how it improved her life. Sheila, Bebe (Michelle Johnston), and Maggie (Pam Klinger) get the simple and touching "At the Ballet," on their difficult childhoods and how ballet became their escape.

Reed tries to show Zach how much she wants to be a part of the show with the dynamic "Let Me Dance for You." That was one of two songs written for the film; the other was the Oscar-nominated "Surprise, Surprise," as Richie and the others describe their sexual awakenings.

Trivia: The original show opened in 1975 and was one of the biggest Broadway successes of the 70's and 80's, running until 1990 and winning 9 Tonys and the Pulitzer. It closed as the longest-running show in Broadway history. (It has since been replaced by Cats, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera.) A revival in 2006 also did well, running over two years.

The movie was partially filmed at the Mark Hellinger Theater, a real-life Broadway theater that is now owned by the Times Square Church.

What I Don't Like: Switching the focus to the romance between Cassie and Zach totally loses the point of the original show - that of the stories of the dancers, their lives, and what makes them want to perform. Attenborough often cuts to flashbacks of their doomed relationship during numbers or when the dancers are talking, disrupting the flow of the film and the songs. Douglas looks bored and out-of-place as the supposedly driven and eccentric choreographer.

More than half the score is missing, including an important montage song for the dancers, "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love," along with "The Music and the Mirror" and "Sing!" The hit "What I Did For Love," originally a song for the dancers to explain their love for their craft, becomes a throwaway ballad for Cassie as she watches the dancers from the catwalks.

This is another flop musical that probably should not have been a film. The original format is really a full-on stage experience, and that shows in the film's limited cinematography and editing. Despite attempts at something more dynamic in a few of the numbers, this really feels more like a filmed stage play.

The Big Finale: People who want a taste of the show - or the mid-80's - may be interested in some of the numbers...but if you really want to hear the show, you may be better off looking up the easily-found original or Broadway revival cast albums.

Home Media: Easily found on most formats, often for under ten dollars.

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