A Chorus Line is one singular sensation at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia, MD

Jeri Tidwell Photography

A Chorus Line has become an old chestnut for fans of Broadway musicals since its debut in 1975, running for 6,137 performances — the longest running Broadway musical until 1997 when it was surpassed by Cats — earning 12 Tony Award nominations and nine wins, beloved for its music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban, with Michael Bennett’s direction and choreography (with Bob Avian), spawning tours, revivals, a West End production, and countless community theatre performances. And with a show filled with memorable tunes like ‘I Hope I Get It’, ‘I Can Do That’, ‘At the Ballet’, ‘Dance: Ten, Looks: Three’ (aka ‘Tits and Ass’), ‘What I Did For Love’ and ‘One” it’s easy to see why the show has enjoyed such longevity and admiration (we won’t remind you that there’s also a movie version that’s better left in the dustbin of history).

Speaking of longevity, Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia, MD is celebrating its 45th anniversary with this production of A Chorus Line, which has not been seen on this particular stage for about 40 years. Seems like a good time to revisit this classic show. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, it seems pretty basic at first glance — a tale of a group of dancers, many (or most) of them having struggled for years to land an audition or a job, gathered in this rehearsal space to give it another try. But then the many layers of the story are revealed, peeled back like an onion as we get into the lives of many of the dancers under the scrutiny of the director, Zach (Jeffrey Shankle), who wants to know details about these people he may be casting in his next show. There’s haughty Sheila (Jessica Barraclough), who seems to think she’s above everyone else in the room, but who eventually reveals her truth that explains why she has so many walls up; Don (Brandon Bedore), with a wife and kids who just needs the job to support them; Mike (Nicky Kaider), who was dragged along to his sister’s dance class and replaced her one day when she refused to go — and stayed; Bobby (David Singleton), who makes jokes to hide his unhappy childhood; Kristine (Amanda Kaplan-Landstrom), a bit scatter-brained and unable to sing, and her husband Al (Ryan Sellers) who finishes her sentences in tune; Mark (Angelo Harrington II), who relates an embarrassing but funny story about his childhood and his fascination with a medical book that had him wrongly self-diagnosing an STD; Connie (Kiana King), who laments about her short height; Diana (Leela Dawson) and her horrible high school acting class and the teacher who told her to try something else; Judy (Julia Williams) and her problematic childhood; Greg (Ariel Messeca) on discovering his homosexuality after a date with a girl; and Val (Alexis Krey-Bedore), who espouses the joys and benefits of plastic surgery to anyone who wants to get ahead in show biz.

Jeri Tidwell Photography

But there are two other dancers whose stories become much more pronounced in the second act. We know that Zach and Cassie (Lydia Gifford) know each other from their interactions in Act I, but it’s revealed in Act II that Cassie was already something of a Broadway star who went to Hollywood and failed miserably, and now all she wants is the chance to start over. But Zach feels she’s too good to be in the chorus again … and they may have some past relationship issues that could hinder her getting a job with him as well. And there’s Paul (Brian Dauglash), who has been a tough nut to crack when it comes to sharing his story, but Zach excuses the group to have a one-on-one and Paul lets loose with a very emotional telling of how he got into dance and the things he had to do to get there while hiding it all from his parents. During one last run-through before the casting is announced, a tragic accident befalls one of the dancers, leaving everyone to realize that their own careers could be over in an instant, allowing them to reflect one what they’ve done, what they’ve sacrificed for the love of the dance.

My own familiarity with A Chorus Line comes from some of the more popular songs and the — not great — movie. So I wasn’t sure how I was going to respond to this production, especially since it’s a show with the word ‘line’ in the title, so how does one stage this in the round and not just have backs to half the audience? Well, it is staged brilliantly by director Mark Minnick, who allows the characters to be more natural in the setting, filling in the entire area at times so that the actors are facing different parts of the audience. The opening moment, too, is jaw-dropping as the stage lights come up and out of the blackness there are suddenly 20 people on the stage. Yes, there are moments when they do all get in a line facing Zach up on his perch, so half the audience is seeing just their backs. But before you know it, they are lined up again facing the other direction with Zach in an identical perch on the other side of the stage. That’s some problem solving on display. As usual, the choreography by Vincent Musgrave also carefully plays to the entire audience as the performers make subtle turns to make sure everyone is getting to see the show. As this is set in a rehearsal hall, there really are no other set-pieces so any changes in mood or audience sightlines are accomplished through the lighting design by Lynn Joslin, which will spotlight a single performer during their solo numbers, allowing the others to take their positions in relative darkness, ready to go again when the full lights come up. Toby’s usually has a live six-piece orchestra performing for each show, but this show requires an eight-piece orchestra and under the direction of Ross Scott Rawlings, they sound better than ever. From a technical standpoint, there is absolutely nothing to complain about.

As is usual for a show at Toby’s, the cast is exceedingly excellent in acting, singing and dancing. This is, of course, a very dance-heavy show and in a small space with such a large cast in the group numbers, everyone has to be on their toes, literally, to make sure each number goes off without a hitch. This group delivers. Some of the characters get to tell more of their stories than others, but even in the smaller moments those actors make an impression. In the first act, particularly, Jessica Barraclough just commands attention as she gives Sheila major attitude, and then breaks down some of her walls with the ‘At the Ballet’ number. Alexis Krey-Bedore steals the show with ‘Dance: Ten; Looks: Three’, one of the few humorous moments in the show (even though a song about talent taking a back seat to appearance is still pretty serious). Act II really belongs to Cassie and Paul. First Zach has to confront Cassie about her being too good for the chorus and her response in song and dance with ‘The Music and the Mirror’ show him she just wants to work. Lydia Gifford gives a lovely performance here as she glides across the stage, and delivers some real emotion as she argues with Zach about their past and her future.

Probably the most memorable performance comes from Brian Dauglash as Paul. In Act I, you can see just how uncomfortable he is when Zach asks him about how he got to this place in life, with Paul not wanting to address his past. In Act II, when it’s just the two of them, Paul opens the floodgates of his life to Zach, culminating in a truly emotional and heartfelt moment that had us all reaching for some napkins to dab our eyes. It was easy to see in this intimate setting the raw emotion on Dauglash’s face, the tear steaming down his cheek. Interestingly, this is one moment that does not come with a song or a dance, so Dauglash has to pull everything out of himself to hit us with all of that pain that Paul is feeling with just pure emotion, pure acting skills. It was a truly gut-wrenching moment, and a performance that Dauglash should be very proud of. This is the first show of the year for next year’s Helen Hayes Awards (Toby’s has received 14 nominations this year), so I hope the committee visiting Toby’s for A Chorus Line remember Dauglash this time next year.

Jeri Tidwell Photography

This version of A Chorus Line is based on the original production so it’s interesting to see how one of the show’s most famous songs has been misinterpreted over the years, particularly in the movie version which gave ‘What I Did For Love’ to Cassie and made it a song of lament about her relationship with Zach. Here, as in the original, the song is performed by Diana, joined by the group, as they contemplate what they would do if they don’t make it as dancers. The song is about what they’ve done for the love of their art, and Leela Dawson really delivers the song with emotion that is amplified as the chorus joins in. The show closes with the just as famous ‘One’ (which is actually the song from the show the dancers are auditioning for, not a number that is integral to the story) as each cast member enters for their bow and joins the chorus line, now in sparkling, identical tuxedos and an amazing bit of choreo as they dance in a circle at one point. The applause, the whoops and cheers from the audience was very well-deserved. If you’re a big fan of Broadway musicals, or the backstage drama that goes into making one, if you love dance or are a dancer, if you know the music, if you’ve seen the show in the past, if you’ve never seen the show, then you must not pass up seeing this production of A Chorus Line at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. It truly is a ‘singular sensation’.

And, of course, dinner comes with the show and there is a delicious buffet of food for your enjoyment. The salad bar, Singing Succotash, Cassie’s Cabbage, Maggie’s Mixed Vegetables, Zach’s Scalloped Potatoes, the signature Spinach Phunque, Sheila’s Spaghetti Noodles and Meatballs Marinara, Connie’s Chicken Milanese, Bebe’s Baked Tilapia, steamed shrimp, the carving station with beef, ham and turkey, dessert, the ice cream bar, and the show’s themed drink, the Singular Sensation — a frozen Razzmatazz raspberry concoction with raspberry liqueur and champagne (for the adults, virgin for the under 21s) that is a sweet treat either with dinner or at intermission. Great food and a great show equals a great night of entertainment for all.

A Chorus Line runs about 2 hours 45 minutes with one intermission. Note that fog and haze effects are used in this production. Also note that the show does contain adult content and language.

A Chorus Line runs through March 10, 2024. Toby’s next production is the classic Disney musical Beauty and the Beast (March 15-June 16).

A Chorus Line 2024- Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Columbia, MD