"Chorus Line" still kicking, less spry

By Paul Kolas, TELEGRAM AND GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — Can it be that “A Chorus Line” is getting a bit stale around the edges? Not that there was anything wrong with Hanover Theatre's staging of Michael Bennett's love letter to the no-pain-no-gain world of the dancer. Not by any means. It's still solid entertainment, glistening with Baayork Lee's synchronized choreography and Patrick Vaccariello's and John O'Neil's pulsating handling of Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban's catchy music and lyrics.

But what was once a fresh and edgy piece of musical theater felt a trifle passé Friday night, shuffling its deck of mostly engaging stereotypes with more than a whiff of self-serving calculation: Look what we did for love!

It's a wonderful sentiment, and “What I Did for Love” is still as inspirational as ever, but there's something missing in Selina Verastigui's delivery of it toward the end of this efficiently engineered production. That something is intensity, the passion of having defied the odds until it's time finally, without regrets, to put away those dancing shoes for good. Verastigui sings it as a muted elegy instead. It pales alongside Anastasia Lange's electrifying keening of “Memory” in Hanover's fine production of “Cats” last year.

Faring much better is Rebecca Riker's Cassie in her stunning rendition of “The Music and the Mirror,” a whirling, exhilarating mix of song and dance. Cassie, of course, is the problematic auditioner, the older woman who once had a relationship with the director, Zach, played with a nice blend of toughness and empathy by Derek Hanson. Cassie is begging her former lover for one more shot at being in a chorus, ostensibly a big step backward for someone who has seen her best days go by and is clinging desperately to the only thing she knows — dancing.

The verbal tussle between Riker and Hanson over Cassie and Zach's shared history and Zach's reluctance to allow Cassie to “start over” is one of the two best dramatic scenes in the show. The other is the moving, confessional breakdown that Zach coaxes out of Paul, one of the gay men vying for a spot in the chorus. Nicky Venditti rivets us with Paul's vivid, emotional account of finally being called “son” by his father.

Ashley Yeater is a knockout as the sultry diva Sheila, a vision of sexy entitlement who is part smokey Lauren Bacall, part Bette Davis' haughty Margo Channing in “All about Eve.” She partners wonderfully with Stephanie Martignetti (Maggie) and Kirstin Tucker (Bebe) on “At the Ballet,” each of them giving an amusing story about their desire as a little girl to become ballerinas. Martignetti in particular has a terrific singing voice, full of control and power.

The irony of the evening is that an understudy had scene-stealing honors. Kristen Paulicelli filled in for Kristen Martin in the role of Val and drew the most applause of the night with a smashing wiggle-those-assets effort on “Dance: 10; Looks: 3.”

The men are well-represented by Andy Mills' jubilant “I Can Do That” as Mike, and Kit Treece (Bobby) and Donald C. Shorter Jr. (Richie) paired well with Heather Duckworth (Judy) and Paulicelli on “And.” Duckworth's endearingly flighty Judy and Treece's eminently crowd-pleasing Bobby are two of the more memorable candidates hoping to be chosen by Zach for the chorus. Also leaving an impression are Catherine Ricafort (the diminutive Connie), Andrew Hodge (the subversively funny Greg), and Nathan Lucrezio and Hilary Michael Thompson as the perky married couple Al and Kristine.

The back story vignettes these people offer us over the course of two hours may have once gleamed with novel verisimilitude, but 35 years later, they seem in some ways a cleverly contrived composite. However, whether “A Chorus Line” still deserves its lofty reputation is beside the point. What it has always been and will always be is the most entertaining job interview you will ever sit through.

‘A Chorus Line'
Concept by Michael Bennett, book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, directed by Bob Avian, choreography re-staged by Baayork Lee, music supervised by Patrick Vaccariello and directed by John O'Neill.

Presented at Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. Performances , today at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $37-$67. For reservations, call (877) 571-SHOW or visit www.thehanovertheatre.org.

With Derek Hanson, Michael Scirrotto, Rebecca Riker, Ashley Yeater, Nicky Venditti, Kristen Paulicelli, Heather Duckworth, Kristen Martin, Selina Verastigui, Kit Treece, Andrew Roubal, Stephanie Martignetti, Bryan Langlitz, Andrew Hodge, Kirstin Tucker, Andy Mills, Donald C. Shorter, Jr., Nathan Lucrezio, Hilary Michael Thompson, Catherine Ricafort, Alissa Alter, Kevin Curtis, Aaron Umsted, Paige Faure, Jonathan Day and Tim Hausmann.