‘A Chorus Line’: Singular sensations replace grand storytelling in Theatre By The Sea season opener

Which is why “A Chorus Line” — a musical with tons of heart but which measures zero on the Richter Scale when it comes to spectacle and glitz (that is, except for the finale) — is an odd selection for the season opener. It’s a particularly challenging one as well.

When “A Chorus Line” opened on Broadway in 1975, it came armed with a brilliantly complex fusion of Marvin Hamlisch’s exquisite music, Edward Kleban’s confessional lyrics, and an abundance of high-energy choreography by Michael Bennett. And for that it earned nine Tony Awards and five Drama Desk Awards.

But what merited the Pulitzer Prize and inspired a then-record breaking 6,137 performances on Broadway was James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante’s intimate, incisive, and compelling portrait of the life of gypsy hoofers — those professional dancers who eke out a living as the faceless, hardworking bodies in the background of a musical’s production numbers. Here, 17 performers have survived the first round of a Broadway audition and must now compete for four male and four female ensemble positions.

The show is ensemble-driven, which means no star power. And most of the action (save for that finale) takes place on a stage sans scenery and with no elaborate costuming or theatrical bells and whistles. And the story is a very personal one, told through individual dancers’ self-disclosures and solo performances. In the original Broadway playbill, the show was dedicated “to anyone who has ever danced in a chorus or marched in step … anywhere.” But this show also speaks to those who may have had the desire but never the daring to put themselves out there.

So, the question is: Can Theatre By the Sea, given its tendency to go big, go small?

That it can do. It can do that.

Director/choreographer Josh Walden successfully ignores the ghosts in the rafters of the old barn theater, who whisper “go bigger and bolder,” and keeps in check any champing at the bit to make more from less.

The talented cast of young professional performers — some fresh from cruise line stages and college showcases — shows remarkable restraint as well, as their muscle memory begs them to play to the back row. It can even be argued that they showed too much restraint during this opening night production, for most seemed disengaged when standing shoulder to shoulder watching others have their musical theater moments in the spotlight. It’s one thing not to draw attention; it’s another to not to pay attention.

Fortunately, most of those moments — which provide the paydirt for “A Chorus Line” — are performed well. Ashley Bice as the tone-deaf Kristine displays great comic timing in “Sing!,” Jessica Minter flat-out nails Val’s physical trials and tribulations in “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three,” and Erica Perez-Gotay’s lovely rendition of “Nothing” — Diana’s moving testimony to the frustration of acting class — is one of the production’s highlights. Another is Luciano Castaldo’s emotional telling of Paul’s story of abuse and Christopher deProphetis’ tender response as Zach, the director running the audition.

Cassidy Stoner proves to be the triple-threat performer her character Cassie is intended to be. She showcases those skills during the riveting “The Music and the Mirror,” which is not only an expression of Cassie’s passion to dance but a display of the quality of dance she is willing to sacrifice in order to just be another member of the ensemble.

Meag O’Meara takes one for the team as the understudy for the role of Mike (to have been played by Mario Rizzi), the character who delivers the first of those musical theater moments in the spotlight. O’Meara is a bit of a deer in the headlights when performing “I Can Do That” — understandable given the circumstances — but seamlessly blends into the ensemble and keeps pace with the others during the show’s grand finale, “One.”

The grand finale is the moment where the musical’s creators and this production’s designers — Kyle Dixon (scenic), Matthew Kilgore (costume), and Weston Wilkerson (lighting) — finally pull out the stops in terms of spectacle and glitz in order to present the end result of all the pain and sacrifice endured by these dancers. This is where music director Alex Tirrell sets free Shawn Baptista’s brassy trumpet to make this number bigger and bolder than the others. And this is what owner/producer Bill Hanney lives for, what placates those ghosts in the rafters, and bedazzles the audience.

A CHORUS LINE

Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Directed and choreographed by Josh Walden. At Theatre By The Sea, 364 Cards Pond Road, Wakefield. Through June 22. Tickets are $68-$94 (plus fee). 401-782-8587. theatrebythesea.com.

Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him on Facebook.