The UK regional revival of A Chorus Line has received generally favorable reviews from British theater critics. Last revived on London’s West End in 2013, the current production of the 1975 Broadway musical is playing at the Curve, Leicester, through December 31. The creative team includes James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante (book), Marvin Hamlisch (music), Edward Kleban (lyrics), Nikolai Foster (direction), Ellen Kane (choreography), Grace Smart (sets), David Shrubsole (musical supervision), Edd Lindley (costumes), Howard Hudson (lights), Tom Marshall (sound), and Tamara Saringer (musical direction).
The cast includes Adam Cooper (Zach), Carly Mercedes Dyer (Cassie), Ronan Burns (Bobby), Beth Hinton-Lever (Bebe), Katie Lee (Kristine), Redmand Rance (Mike), Emily Barnett-Salter (Sheila), Bradley Delarosbel (Gregory), Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly (Diana), André Fabien Francis (Richie), Ainsley Hall Ricketts (Paul), Joshua Lay (Al), Kanako Nakano (Judy), Jamie O’Leary (Mark), Tom Partridge (Don), Rachel Jayne Picar (Connie), Chloe Saunders (Val), Charlotte Scott (Maggie), and Taylor Walker (Larry).
Guardian (Clare Brennan): It’s not difficult to see why Nikolai Foster has chosen A Chorus Line as Curve’s first post-Covid Christmas show. … Its continual focus-switching, from collective to individual experience, from gritty endurance to exuberant celebration, speaks powerfully to our pandemic-troubled times. Staging and design add impact to the dramaturgical focus-shifts. … At times, individuals dominate the setting — faces, projected in closeup on to the back wall. Even here, though, the dancers are subject to manipulation. … For the closing number, Howard Hudson’s lighting rig takes on a life of its own, dancing above the high-kicking chorus — identical in gold outfits, but each now unique, to our eyes, and all wonderful. 4 out of 5 stars.
Guardian (Chris Wiegand): What a thrill … to see the deep Curve stage flooded with talented dancers, delighting in one of musical theatre’s most enthralling openings. And 5, 6, 7, 8: off they go, driven on by the irresistible brassy attack of Marvin Hamlisch’s score. … Almost 50 years on, much of what the show says about the theatre business still rings true although it can’t help but feel rather limited when the industry is having long-overdue conversations about abuse of power and mental health. Those tunes though. … There can’t be an unused spotlight in the building by the end of “One,” which becomes a moving testament to all those theatre workers who mobilised as a chorus for their imperilled industry. 4 out of 5 stars.
Jonathan Baz Reviews (Jonathan Baz): It’s a bold statement from Leicester’s Curve that sees them stage A Chorus Line as their seasonal musical. … Directed by Nikolai Foster, the musical magic is a singular sensation. While it is invidious to name cast members as the entire ensemble are all magnificent in the different glimpses of humanity they reveal, … the key drivers of the narrative are outstanding. … The people of Leicester have again been blessed with this festive treat — and if you don’t live nearby, then jump in a car or train and go. This may not be the traditional family show — but for Christmas quality, Nikolai Foster’s A Chorus Line is the “One”!
Times (Donald Hutera): It is nearly half a century since this era-defining, smash-hit and Pulitzer prizewinning Broadway musical had its premiere but, as the Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster’s absorbing new production demonstrates, it still packs an emotional wallop. Originally conceived, directed and choreographed (with Bob Avian) by Michael Bennett in 1975, it is heartfelt, slick and scintillating entertainment. Groundbreaking, too, as a plotless musical (something for which Stephen Sondheim had paved the way five years earlier with Company) structured round a collage of characters who are, crucially, dancers. 4 out of 5 stars.