Ogunquit Playhouse starts season with “A Chorus Line”

After a group of dancers at an audition is narrowed to 17, soon to be eight, the director instructs each of them to “be yourself” and tell the truth.

In an industry replete with makeup and costumes, stage names and false ages, being real doesn’t come naturally. The dancers in “A Chorus Line” become increasingly anxious, but soon begin to open up and share their stories, as though never asked before. Once the audience gets to know them all as individuals—with their complicated pasts, their failures and insecurities and, ultimately, their ambition to dance—the ensemble means so much more.

“A Chorus Line” begins the “feel-good” season at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, running through June 13.

The original Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, was a box office and critical hit, receiving 12 Tony Award nominations and winning nine of them, in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It remains the longest running Broadway musical originally produced in the United States. The show was revived on Broadway in 2006.

The Playhouse production, directed by Luis Villabon, includes a Broadway set with huge mirrors, an exaggerated version of a dance studio. In some scenes, the mirrors seem to multiply the dancers, although the audience learns to see them as individuals. In other scenes, the spotlight is focused on one actor at a time.

The costumes are a flashback beyond “Flashdance,” with high-legged leotards and sweatbands. It’s easy to see how that 1980s movie about a wannabe dancer, and many others since, may have been influenced by the musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975. It even sets a precedent for “American Idol.” 

The musical offers one of those backstage passes or behind-the-scenes stories, revealing real people behind the characters. Since the plot feels one step removed—a musical about a musical act—it’s easy to get caught up in the story and take the actual singing and dancing for granted. But these performers, even as they struggle for stardom in a staged audition, are putting on a real show.

It’s alternately hilarious and heart-breaking. There’s butt wiggling and hip thrusting, smoking onstage, just about every swear word—even a song that praises elective surgery for providing the “tits and ass” one dancer needed to get ahead in the entertainment industry. But there’s also compelling dialog and long monologues on dysfunctional families, homosexuality, adolescence and other complex, life-shaping situations.    

While Lorenzo Lamas, who portrays the director, is billed as the star of the show, he spends most of his time off stage, conducting interviews with a calm and caring radio voice. Standout performances include Nadine Isenegger as Cassie, the lady in red who is called “too good” for the chorus and seduces the mirrors with captivating choreography. Also, Thay Floyd as Richie Walters won applause with his extraordinary moves. Katie Cameron is hilarious as the overtly sexual and overly confident Sheila, as is Megan Sikora as Val with the song and dance about her surgically altered body.

The show is filled with recognizable musical numbers, including “What I Did for Love,” and its premise allows for smooth transitions into singing. The stunning grand finale after the bows includes golden costumes and swirling lights. The whole cast performs the popular song “One,” which begins with the famous line: “One singular sensation, every little step that she takes.”

The Ogunquit Playhouse’s 77th season started earlier than ever and now runs for 21 weeks through Columbus Day weekends. Executive artistic director Bradford Kenney said the 2009 season has a positive theme to help uplift guests in challenging times.

The season continues with “Shout!” from June 17 to July 11. Then it’s “Guys and Dolls” from July 15 to Aug. 8; “Singin’ in the Rain” from Aug. 12 to Sept. 12; and “All Shook Up” from Sept. 16 to Oct. 11.

The Ogunquit Playhouse is at 10 Main St. (Route 1), Ogunquit, Maine, 207-646-5511. For show times, visit www.ogunquitplayhouse.org.