Review: A Chorus Line

Review: A Chorus Line | Lakewood Cultural Center & Performance Now Theatre Company | Lakewood, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald

Fifty years ago, I sat in the Shubert Theatre on Broadway and watched A Chorus Line electrify the art form. In the decades since, I’ve seen countless productions—including multiple returns to Broadway during its record‑breaking run—but coming back to it now at Lakewood Cultural Center, presented in conjunction with Performance Now Theatre Company and directed and choreographed by Allison Eversoll, felt different. It felt like stepping back into a memory that has only grown more resonant with time. This Pulitzer Prize–winning musical, which once captured the world’s imagination with its raw honesty and revolutionary structure, still pulses with the same urgency and emotional truth. In this production, that heartbeat is unmistakably alive.

What struck me most about this production was the way it reached back into my long history with the show, stirring memories I didn’t expect to revisit. Moments of honesty on the Lakewood stage caught me off guard, reminding me why A Chorus Line has remained such a touchstone in my life. This production tapped into that vulnerability with a clarity that felt both personal and profound.

A Chorus Line follows a group of dancers auditioning for a Broadway show, each stepping forward to share the personal histories, hopes, and heartbreaks that shaped their lives in the theater. As they move through the audition’s demands, their stories weave together into a portrait of ambition, vulnerability, and the cost—and necessity—of pursuing a life onstage.

With a cast this large—and with so many performers delivering honest, sharply etched work—it’s impossible to name everyone. However, a few performances capture the spirit and precision of the ensemble’s dedication. Patrick J. Clarke injects an infectious burst of energy into Mike from the very beginning, his sharp, buoyant movement matched by a presence that feels both commanding and consistently watchable. Kristine Bachicha Hintz provides Cassie with grounded, aching clarity; her solo is both technically confident and emotionally transparent. Krista McDonald’s Sheila is delightfully dry and incisive, layering wit with a surprising emotional depth. Her comic timing is heavenly.

Andrew S. Bates anchors the production as Zach, commanding the room with a quiet authority that never overpowers the dancers’ vulnerability. Brooke Shelley’s Judy radiates warmth and comic timing, brightening every moment she’s on stage. Andy Telesco brings a fresh, heartfelt sincerity to Diana, an impressive professional theatre debut marked by clarity, confidence, and emotional openness.

Cole Emarine’s Paul is beautifully portrayed, marked by restraint, dignity, and devastating honesty. I have seen Paul’s heartbreaking monologue dozens of times, and it has never been as emotionally resonant as Emarine’s performance. And Joe Barnard, whom I’ve admired through memorable supporting roles across Denver stages, has his featured moment by bringing a wry, buoyant charm to Bobby, proving again that even in a role built on quick wit and physicality, he knows how to make every beat count.

The musical backbone of A Chorus Line—born of Michael Bennett’s original staging, with a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Edward Kleban—remains as potent as ever, and this production treats its score and choreography with both reverence and vitality. Allison Eversoll’s choreography honors Bennett’s vocabulary while giving the dancers room to move with individuality and emotional specificity.

Musically, “I Can Do That” bursts forward with athletic snap, a showcase for Mike’s bravado and the sheer joy of movement. “At the Ballet” unfolds with a quiet, aching elegance, the trio’s voices blending into something that feels both intimate and expansive, a reminder of how the show marries personal history with collective longing. And when the company reaches “What I Did for Love,” the production finds its emotional center—not as a farewell to the stage, but as a clear‑eyed affirmation of why these dancers keep showing up, audition after audition.

Under the direction and choreography of Allison Eversoll, with co‑direction of Bryan Bell, this production moves with precision and purpose. Eversoll honors the show’s iconic vocabulary while shaping it to the strengths and individuality of this ensemble, and Bell’s contribution helps ensure the storytelling remains focused, clean, and emotionally legible. Together, they guide this production with a steady hand, balancing momentum and clarity in a way that beautifully serves the material.

Under the musical direction of Zerek Dodson, who also leads from the keyboard, the orchestra and choreography work in tandem throughout, giving the evening a rhythmic pulse that never falters and a musical richness that deepens every story told on that line. This nine‑piece orchestra, faithful to the original score, brings a clarity and immediacy that amplifies the show’s humanity in ways only live musicians can.

The production’s visual world is shaped with the same care as its performances. Cole Emarine’s costumes echo the clean, iconic lines of the original designs while giving this ensemble a crisp, unified look that feels both period‑true and freshly realized. Emily Maddox’s lighting design adds warmth, contour, and emotional shading, subtly guiding the audience’s focus without ever overwhelming the dancers. Andrew Bates’s set provides a spacious, unobtrusive frame for the action, allowing the performers to command the space as the story demands. A judiciously placed upstage camera projection adds an unexpected layer of dimensionality—an understated touch that deepens the sense of immediacy and gives the performance a quietly contemporary resonance.

Leaving the theater, I was struck by how fully this co‑production from Lakewood Cultural Center and Performance Now Theatre Company captures the enduring force of A Chorus Line. Rather than simply reviving a classic, it reveals the musical’s capacity to resonate across generations, its questions and rhythms taking on new contours in the present moment. Even for someone who has carried this show for a long time, there was something quietly affecting about seeing its emotional architecture rendered with such clarity. It reminded me that great theatre doesn’t simply endure; it meets us where we are, and if we let it, it carries us forward.