A CHORUS LINE Kicks Off in Houston

Broadway classic A Chorus Line kicked off a two-week stand at Houston's Hobby Center this week.  The Marvin Hamlisch musical tells the story of seventeen "wannabe" Broadway dancers, auditioning for eight limited spots on a chorus line.  The one-act production is stacked with stellar dance numbers, poignant monologues, and insightful songs about the characters' motives to dance.

I admittedly knew very little about A Chorus Line prior to attending - a bit of a faux pas for any supposed Broadway fanatic.  Most of the songs were familiar, sure, but I did not know the story.  I was surprised - and, eventually, pleased - when, halfway through the performance, I realized this was not a show about dancing in the chorus, but one about what makes us individuals; what we do to overcome obstacles in our life; what puts us on common ground with our peers.

What I took from this show, conceived in the mid-70s, was this:  that everyone wants to fit in with the norm, and yet everyone must be an individual.  From the boys who were gay and outcast by their peers to the girls who just wanted to be pretty, the desire to be "normal" is what drove these dancers to their chosen careers.  Perhaps dancing in the chorus line, lacking individuality, a name, a face, gives them what they really want - to belong.

It is a living, breathing, dancing documentary of these characters' lives.  If a lesson is to be learned from this show, I would say it is to simply be yourself - it is the greatest role you will ever play.

A Chorus Line had been a staple of Broadway since 1976 until it closed in 1991 as the longest running show in Broadway history (it has since fallen to fourth place).  The show was revived in 2006 and closed in 2008 after 759 additional performances.

Tickets are available for performances through January 17 by visiting Ticketmaster or by visiting or calling the Hobby Center Box Office at (713) 315-2525.  Due to language and sexual references, I do not recommend the show for children under the age of 7.