A Chorus Line. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward Keban. Book by James Kirkwood Jr and Nicholas Dante. Directed and choreographed by Michelle Heine. Musical director Craig Johnson. Free-Rain Theatre Company. The Q Theatre, Queanbeyan. Sept 30-Oct 19.

Photo: Janelle McMenamin

Taking on A Chorus Line is a massive thing to do but Free-Rain are up for it. It starts with a stage full of characters, all in a wild variety of practice clothes as Zach (Michael Cooper) begins auditions.  We never really find out what the show being auditioned for is, but being the 1970s things have certainly moved on from Oklahoma. 

There is a story line of sorts that involves the ruthless process of weeding out the auditionees until the final cohort is chosen. The first half of the show is about this process intercut with a few life stories as Zach sorts out who will stay and who will go in a savage audition process. 

Early dance experiences and struggles are sketched in, too many to be detailed here.  The deceptive romance of dance is nicely pinpointed in the number At the Ballet by Sheila (Kay Liddiard) Bebe (Ashleigh Nguyen) and Maggie (Laura Evans). The struggles of Paul (Alexander Matthews) with his sexual identity and the physical dangers of a dancer’s life are sensitively focussed on more toward the end as the auditionees wait to find out who will finally be chosen. And Ashley Maynard gives a strong rendering of What I Did For Love, an anthem to all the feelings toward a highly uncertain profession. 

The show becomes more intensely extended with a long section focussing on Cassie (Ylaria Rogers) and her difficulties finding her way back in New York after an unsuccessful go at Hollywood. This is a more sustained sequence than some of the other life stories, particularly since she and Zach have had a relationship. Rogers sings and dances up a storm and she and Cooper maintain an excellent dramatic tension. 

The pit orchestra under conductor Craig Johnson never puts a foot wrong in a demanding show. 

Black and white replaces the usual gold for the final turn out. Brave choice, daring to be different, but I reckon it doesn’t quite dazzle enough. However, the power and the energy of the show never diminishes. A classic, given a perceptive production by Free-Rain. 

Photo: Janelle McMenamin

Alanna Maclean