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One... singular sensation... every little step she takes... One... thrilling combination... every move that she makes... (ad infinitum). Every time I tune into Elaine Paige on Sunday on BBC Radio 2 when having my Sunday lunch microwave meal, I always half expect her to play it nearly every other week, and one even managed to catch her actually doing that as recently as Remembrance Sunday in 2023. I know that I heard it played on a documentary on BBC One circa the end of November and start of December 1999, probably the Richard Dimbleby Lecture, paying tribute to someone. As for the name A Chorus Line itself, I know that it had a namesake with the font which we saw at the start and end of that hospital sitcom Only When I Laugh. The musical has blessed the West End for more years than one can care to remember, and I am certain that it did the rounds around the country as well. And then came the film version...
Directed by Richard Attenborough (a pity that he never lived as long as his brother), this 1985 film, made just ten years after the publication of the original stage musical, makes me think as if it had been made more like 1982 or thereabouts, probably because it does remind me of Fame which was made at around that time. Cue Michael Douglas as Zach, a choreographer, looking for eight dancers (in pure Strictly tradition, four ladies and four gents, hence four male-female partnerships), and has them introduce themselves, but this was certainly no reality TV. Zach interviews them and gets them involved in a number of issues and subjects. We learn about how the dancers were originally influenced into dancing, and delves further into sexual relationships and family hardships; this prompted Paul to mention how he was sexually molested as a child whilst watching musicals on 42nd Street. His parents couldn't look him in the eye when they found out that he was homosexual and was also performing in drag; such an observation made by such conservative parents which does date this film even to pre-1980s levels. No doubt that such a character wouldn't have been made today without caution and a heavy bounce to the cutting room floor, even a ban from appearing on outtake programmes. As soon as Cassie enters the stage, assistant choreographer Larry takes the wannabe dancers to a rehearsal room (even though "wannabe" feels more like a 1990s term because of the Spice Girls). The dancers are soon brought back on stage their new routine they have only just learnt.
Paul slips and injures his knee and is rushed to hospital (so much for "break a leg"); there were no sub-Bruce Forsyth "Irish oven glove" jokes, thank goodness. In receipt of Paul's absence, Zach asks his fellow dancers what they can do just once which they could no longer perform. The remaining dancers, knowingly Val, Cassie, Bebe (aka Beatrice Ann), Diana, Mike, Mark, Richie, and Bobby are all chosen to be in Zach's line. Fast forward a few months and the eight-some are now in identical costumes, perform one in front of a theatrical audience (as well as the viewers at home or in the cinema). Of course, One wasn't the only song performed; others include I Can Do That; I Hope I Get It and At the Ballet. A recent YouTube download afforded me to have a quick look through the film, and the early to mid 1980s excitement which performances like Fame had impressions on me, they certainly had the same affect in this film. The song One made me assume that it certainly pre-dated the 1980s and had more roots within the fifties and sixties. The female cast members wearing their "swimsuit" leotards while wearing belts for not much reason at all, while one or two others wearing keep-fit costumes, almost prompting an inviting territory which we saw on Fame, one was almost expecting the risque: "getting changed into their outfits in the dressing room" and "white knickers" scenes, and the fashions making the film around three years older than it really was.
Apart from Douglas, one has to say that not to many of the fellow actors and dancers and certainly not familiar names to myself; again, character names come to mind but not the actor who plays them. Character Bobby Mills was not the man who did In Bed With MeDinner or Win, Lose or Draw, and the actor who played Mills, Matt West, didn't open any High Street banks in Great Britain either. The film was eventually premiered in the UK on BBC 1 on Saturday 17th August 1991 in the traditional 8.10 pm Casualty slot, although a repeat of the medical drama was also seen on the same evening at 10.25 pm. The synopsis in The Times, extended the title of its most familiar tune to: "One Singular Sensation" as well as listing the obscure (to a British audience) cast members. The YouTube version modernises the film at the start in order to include the famous MGM lion and website address at the bottom. The credits towards the end quite helpfully gave us character and actor labelled with a picture of the relevant character while the song One continues to be heard: "Nicole Fosse as Kristine"; "Alyson Reed as Cassie"; "Michelle Johnston as Bebe" and so on. Sharon Brown played Zach's secretary Kim, who was almost the token black character seen back in the day when she would have stood out a lot more than now. Again, due to the nature of the film, one feels that character names are more like stage names.
A great film which needs another showing on terrestrial television.
Directed by Richard Attenborough (a pity that he never lived as long as his brother), this 1985 film, made just ten years after the publication of the original stage musical, makes me think as if it had been made more like 1982 or thereabouts, probably because it does remind me of Fame which was made at around that time. Cue Michael Douglas as Zach, a choreographer, looking for eight dancers (in pure Strictly tradition, four ladies and four gents, hence four male-female partnerships), and has them introduce themselves, but this was certainly no reality TV. Zach interviews them and gets them involved in a number of issues and subjects. We learn about how the dancers were originally influenced into dancing, and delves further into sexual relationships and family hardships; this prompted Paul to mention how he was sexually molested as a child whilst watching musicals on 42nd Street. His parents couldn't look him in the eye when they found out that he was homosexual and was also performing in drag; such an observation made by such conservative parents which does date this film even to pre-1980s levels. No doubt that such a character wouldn't have been made today without caution and a heavy bounce to the cutting room floor, even a ban from appearing on outtake programmes. As soon as Cassie enters the stage, assistant choreographer Larry takes the wannabe dancers to a rehearsal room (even though "wannabe" feels more like a 1990s term because of the Spice Girls). The dancers are soon brought back on stage their new routine they have only just learnt.
Paul slips and injures his knee and is rushed to hospital (so much for "break a leg"); there were no sub-Bruce Forsyth "Irish oven glove" jokes, thank goodness. In receipt of Paul's absence, Zach asks his fellow dancers what they can do just once which they could no longer perform. The remaining dancers, knowingly Val, Cassie, Bebe (aka Beatrice Ann), Diana, Mike, Mark, Richie, and Bobby are all chosen to be in Zach's line. Fast forward a few months and the eight-some are now in identical costumes, perform one in front of a theatrical audience (as well as the viewers at home or in the cinema). Of course, One wasn't the only song performed; others include I Can Do That; I Hope I Get It and At the Ballet. A recent YouTube download afforded me to have a quick look through the film, and the early to mid 1980s excitement which performances like Fame had impressions on me, they certainly had the same affect in this film. The song One made me assume that it certainly pre-dated the 1980s and had more roots within the fifties and sixties. The female cast members wearing their "swimsuit" leotards while wearing belts for not much reason at all, while one or two others wearing keep-fit costumes, almost prompting an inviting territory which we saw on Fame, one was almost expecting the risque: "getting changed into their outfits in the dressing room" and "white knickers" scenes, and the fashions making the film around three years older than it really was.
Apart from Douglas, one has to say that not to many of the fellow actors and dancers and certainly not familiar names to myself; again, character names come to mind but not the actor who plays them. Character Bobby Mills was not the man who did In Bed With MeDinner or Win, Lose or Draw, and the actor who played Mills, Matt West, didn't open any High Street banks in Great Britain either. The film was eventually premiered in the UK on BBC 1 on Saturday 17th August 1991 in the traditional 8.10 pm Casualty slot, although a repeat of the medical drama was also seen on the same evening at 10.25 pm. The synopsis in The Times, extended the title of its most familiar tune to: "One Singular Sensation" as well as listing the obscure (to a British audience) cast members. The YouTube version modernises the film at the start in order to include the famous MGM lion and website address at the bottom. The credits towards the end quite helpfully gave us character and actor labelled with a picture of the relevant character while the song One continues to be heard: "Nicole Fosse as Kristine"; "Alyson Reed as Cassie"; "Michelle Johnston as Bebe" and so on. Sharon Brown played Zach's secretary Kim, who was almost the token black character seen back in the day when she would have stood out a lot more than now. Again, due to the nature of the film, one feels that character names are more like stage names.
A great film which needs another showing on terrestrial television.