USA: Documentary "Every Little Step" captures revival of Broadway play 'A Chorus Line'

Record ID: 385725

  • Title: USA: Documentary "Every Little Step" captures revival of Broadway play 'A Chorus Line'
  • Date: 28th March 2009
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 27, 2009) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-DIRECTOR JAMES D. STERN SAYING: "Well one of the things that's really amazing about the dancer's life and being on Broadway is that by the time they're about 33, 34 years old, their careers are on the downhill slide and yet unlike an athlete they haven't made a lot of money. They really do do this for love."
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVABGC85NFOHVT19M7DY0XIKA3EJ
  • Story Text: "Every Little Step" is a documentary about the revival of "A Chorus Line". It captures the heartbreak of the auditioning process of a dancer.
    Three thousand dancers competing for 19 roles. The odds were not in their favor. Nevertheless, the chance of being a singular sensation was just too much to ignore. When the revival of a "Chorus Line" was announced, dancers from around the world grabbed their leotards and headed for New York. The whole thing was captured on film in a documentary called "Every Little Step."
    The movie, directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, mixes the past with the present. It combines footage of the audition process for the revival which opened on Broadway in October 2006 with archive footage from the original production. There are also audio recordings from the infamous interviews by Michael Bennett and interviews with the original team behind the production including Donna McKechnie who played "Cassie".
    "The idea of making a documentary about thousands of dancers auditioning on Broadway and the show itself was about dancers examining their lives and trying to get a job on Broadway so we actually had a film that could identically mirror what the show itself was," said co-director Adam Del Deo.
    The genesis of "A Chorus Line" is a series of interviews with background dancers. On the night of January 18, 1974 famed choreographer Michael Bennett met with a group of his favorite dancers in an empty exercise center in Manhattan armed with a tape recorder and lots of cheap wine. The dancers proceeded to talk about their past and their dreams, which Bennett later weaved into a story.
    "A Chorus Line" debuted on Broadway on May 21st, 1975. Its lights weren't dimmed until April 1990. In the process, it became the longest running show in Broadway history and a favorite not only among viewers but dancers as well.
    "'A Chorus Line' was the first confessional piece ever done in a commercial setting," said co-director James D. Stern.
    "There was no Oprah Winfrey. There was no confessional literature like from Mona Simpson and people like that. 'A Chorus Line' started all of that and really came out of the experience of Watergate when Michael Bennett was sitting around saying people need to tell the truth in front of the mirror and sort of go out there."
    Casting proved particularly challenging for the revival because many among the casting team had been a part of the original production and couldn't help but to make comparisons. They also didn't all agree on the casting choices. Among the contenders were Broadway veterans as well as newcomers. The only thing they all had in common was a passion for dancing and a desire to be chosen - something that is universal to a dancer.
    "Well one of the things that's really amazing about the dancer's life and being on Broadway is that by the time they're about 33, 34 years old, their careers are on the downhill slide and yet unlike an athlete they haven't made a lot of money," said Stern. "They really do do this for love."
    And that love and the power of dreams has had long-standing appeal.
    Within 19 weeks, the revival of "A Chorus Line" recouped its entire 8 million dollar investment.
    "Every Little Step" is opening in limited theatres in North America in April.
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