Review: A CHORUS LINE by Melody Lane Performing Arts Center

Melody Lane Performing Arts Center's production of A CHORUS LINE: TEEN EDITION told the well-known story of a group of dancers auditioning to make it into a chorus line. 

The show seems very straightforward, and in some ways, it is. However, the show really delves into each of the dancers and gives us their background stories, traumas, and dreams. It's a captivating show, and Melody Lane did an excellent job with it. The show was performed at Cultural Park Theater, and I was impressed with how they found ways to use the space and fit all of their actors onto the stage.

Zach (Owen Atkins), the director of the show, is running the audition, and he challenges the dancers to step outside of their comfort zones by talking about their lives. He prompts them to reveal their personalities, and it's really interesting to watch. I thought Atkins did very well with this character. Zach's former love, Cassie (Sophia Albrecht), is part of the dancers auditioning, though he believes she is "too good" for the chorus. Albrecht was a wonderful Cassie, and she did a great job showing Cassie's desire to dance. Val was played by Ava Stoeberl, who brought a lot of bold personality to her character, which was a lot of fun. Sheila was played by Yovanna Ignjatic, who was perfectly sassy as Sheila. Diana was played by Athena Belis, and I thought she did an excellent job in this role. Another standout for me was David Hernandez as Paul. He brought so much emotion to his character, and I really appreciated that. The rest of the cast includes Katie Crater as Lori (Zach's assistant), Georgia Rainero as Judy, Katae Boswell as Maggie, Ashlynn Richardson as Bebe, Guinevere Bortnicker-Kiniry as Connie, Luciana Mendez as Mickie, Amya Vosler as Kristine, Zachary Christian as Al, Matthew Brice as Richie, Nicholas Salerno as Don, Walter Ballard as Mark, Julian Viacava as Bobby,  Bradyn Parmelly as Greg, Bailey McArthur as Tricia, Tatiana Robinson as Vickie, Mary Cossentino as Frank, Addison Baggett as Lois, and Emily Feichthaler as Fran. They all had standout moments, and I thought each of them more than did justice to their characters. 

This production was directed by Dana Alvarez and Amber Angeloro, with choreography by Sami Doherty, music direction by Matt Koller, set design by Joe Pavao and Jimmy Spurgeon, costumes by Terri Schafer and Dava Alvarez, and lighting/sound design by Cameron White. This was a very well done production of A CHORUS LINE; I was very impressed with the show and thought the dancing, acting, and singing was all excellent. Some highlights for me included "At The Ballet," "One," and "What I Did For Love."

Though A CHORUS LINE is done, Melody Lane has other shows coming up that you can check out. For more information, click here: https://melodylanepac.com

Photo Credit: Tom Hall

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