Stage Door News
Stage Door News
April 19, 2016… For the first time in its history, A Chorus Line has been reimagined for its first major production on a thrust stage by Canada’s top director-choreographer, Donna Feore, who has reconceived the legendary musical specially for the Festival Theatre. Previews begin on Tuesday, April 19, marking the first performance of the 2016 season, and the production officially opens on Tuesday, May 31.
“Donna Feore’s work always brings joy into the hearts of our audience members,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “She approaches each production with care and creativity, but A Chorus Line is a title with special meaning to her – and to anyone who has been a dancer. The Michael Bennett estate has shown tremendous faith in her abilities as a director and choreographer, giving her the first opportunity to reimagine this for the Festival’s thrust stage. The result is truly a sensation.”
Ms Feore, the talent behind a long string of hit musicals including The Sound of Music, Crazy for You and Fiddler on the Roof, has assembled 30 of the country’s hottest triple threats in a production that boasts some of the most difficult and intricate choreography she has ever done.
“Michael Bennett, the creator of A Chorus Line, imagined things unavailable to him on the Broadway stages of the 1970s, a space where his actors could reach their audience unimpeded by the standard orchestra pit, a space that allowed an intimate focus on one story as well as the cacophonous clamour of many,” says Ms Feore. “Well, Stratford is such a place. Our stage was designed to accommodate exactly those demands.
“My first moments on this stage 26 years ago convinced me that the Festival would be an exceptionally good fit for A Chorus Line. And when Michael’s friend and executor John Breglio and I walked onto the Festival stage together last year, he agreed. John also agreed that, had Michael lived to see and been able to use this stage and our dancers, he would have reimagined the show in this space.”
A Chorus Line was lauded as the show that changed the course of Broadway with a run that lasted 15 years. It tells the story of aspiring dancers auditioning for a spot in a Broadway show and features such unforgettable numbers as “What I Did for Love,” “At the Ballet,” “Dance Ten Looks Three” and the spectacular finale, “One (Singular Sensation).”
The creative team features Musical Director Laura Burton, Designer Michael Gianfrancesco, Lighting Designer Michael Walton and Sound Designer Peter McBoyle.
A Chorus Line was originally conceived, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, with book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. It was co-choreographed by Bob Avian. The original Broadway production was produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.
A Chorus Line is co-sponsored by RBC and Union Gas.
Production support is generously provided by Mary Ann & Robert Gorlin, by Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen and by Catherine & David Wilkes.
Support for the 2016 season of the Festival Theatre is generously provided by Claire & Daniel Bernstein.
A Chorus Line Forum Highlights
The Forum is a series of activities and events, featuring exclusive showcases, guest speakers, special meals, dynamic dialogues and family fun, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas and issues raised by the 2016 playbill and its theme of After the Victory.
Themes related to A Chorus Line will be explored through several Forum events, including:
• The Legacy of Gene Kelly
Saturday, June 25, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Studio Theatre
Film historian and biographer Patricia Ward Kelly shares insights into the life and work of her late husband, legendary dancer, director and choreographer Gene Kelly, in an intimate conversation with our own triple threat, Donna Feore.
• What I Did for Love
Saturday, July 9, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Studio Theatre
Donna McKechnie, best known for her Tony Award-winning portrayal of Cassie in the original cast of A Chorus Line, speaks candidly with director Donna Feore and theatre critic Richard Ouzounian about the ground-breaking production, the show’s creative team, and her own illustrious, ongoing career.
• A Singular Sensation
Wednesday, July 27, 10:45 a.m. to noon
Chalmers Lounge, Avon Theatre
New York Post columnist Michael Riedel, author of Razzle Dazzle, talks to director Donna Feore about the significance of A Chorus Line in the history of Broadway.
Sustaining support for the Forum is generously provided by Kelly & Michael Meighen and the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation.
The 2016 season begins on April 19 and runs until October 30. It features Macbeth, As You Like It, A Chorus Line, Shakespeare in Love, A Little Night Music, All My Sons, Breath of Kings, John Gabriel Borkman, The Hypochondriac, The Aeneid, Bunny and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
2016-04-19
Stratford: Stratford Festival kicks off its 64th season with previews of "A Chorus Line"