Have you ever wanted something so much you’d do anything—and I mean anything—to have it? That’s the question that begins the seminal musical “A Chorus Line.” The show graced campus in all its glory on Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, 2025, produced by student theater powerhouse Spike Tape and directed by Kendall McDermott ’25 and Emily Hammond ’27.
Confession time: “A Chorus Line” is one of my favorite musicals of all time. I’d go so far as to say that I’m a superfan of the show. Not only does it have my absolute favorite music ever written for the stage, but I find the lore behind the show’s development in the early ’70s endlessly fascinating. When I found out that Spike Tape was staging “A Chorus Line” during my last semester on campus, I felt everything on the spectrum of human emotion. I was grateful to get the chance to see a show I love, excited to watch the show’s complicated musical numbers on stage, and anxious that the tickets would sell out before I could cop mine. Have no fear, my friends, as I managed to get them in time and saw McDermott and Hammond’s layered interpretation of the classic musical unfold in the Patricelli ’92 Theater last weekend.
The musical features a group of dancers, each vying for one of eight spots in the chorus of a fictionalized unnamed Broadway musical. Grappling with the competitive New York City professional dance scene and desperate for a job, the 16 finalists compete for the roles, but not by showing off their dancing, singing, or acting skills. Rather, Zach (Matt Nusbaum ’25), the show’s formidable director, asks them simply to talk about themselves: their lives, their experiences—in and out of the performing arts industry—and what brought them to pursue a career in dancing.
Though hesitant at first, the characters quickly begin to narrate their lives, reflecting on their most formative experiences and spilling secrets they’ve never shared with anyone. As the plot progresses, each character steps forward from the line when it’s their time to share, telling Zach (and the audience) tales that span from their first time going to dance class and their most recent jobs to their experiences navigating their sexuality.
I’ll admit that listening to a series of monologues is not an excellent pitch for an exciting and fun theatrical experience. However, what makes this musical so special—besides the amazing music and choreography—is that every single story is so different. Even though everyone is more than qualified for the job, each dancer comes to the table with a unique set of experiences, strengths, and weaknesses. This makes Zach’s job of choosing the eight dancers who can work in perfect synchronization for his show seemingly impossible, and, as the audition goes on, you can’t help but wonder who he’ll ultimately choose. This tension between individuality and performance is perfectly encapsulated at the end of the first musical number.
“Who am I anyway? / Am I my resume? / That is a picture of a person I don’t know,” one of the dancers, Paul (Ryan Villano ’27), sings.
Watching this production, those lines tugged at my heart strings as I reflected on how job searching sometimes makes it feel like who I am as a person takes a back seat to my accomplishments. This complicated exploration of identity is an element that the directors leaned into in their interpretation of the script.
“‘A Chorus Line’ is a big show with a big cast about finding your way in the world of theatre, something so many graduating seniors are about to do themselves,” Hammond wrote in a message to The Argus. “The show has a resounding message of hope despite challenges, because nothing worth doing is likely to be easy. What really stuck with us is how the characters come in as competitors for limited spots and as true individuals highlighting their differences, yet the show ends with everyone as an ensemble dancing together and being united by their love of dance and theatre.”
These themes were supported by the cast’s fantastic performances. Here’s a fun fact from a girl with an encyclopedic knowledge of the development of this show’s original run: The show’s characters are based on real dancers who worked on Broadway during the show’s development. The stories that the characters tell are based on real experiences that the dancers shared during workshop sessions with the production team, and eight of the original Broadway cast members were played by the real dancers on which they were based. Even with this context, the way that this production’s cast recited their characters’ stories seemed as natural as if they were telling stories from their own lives.
Starting with a fabulous tap dance solo, Mike (Kyra Wood ’28) explains that he first got into dance as a young boy when his sister decided to quit her dance class (“I Can Do That”). Next, Sheila (Olivia Oliveira ’28), Bebe (Sophia Bourne ’28), and Maggie (Isabel Auerswald ’27) share that ballet classes became the best way to escape their tense home lives (“At The Ballet”). Then, Kristine (Kiara Reeves ’26) explains, with some help from her fiance Al (Rachel Wood ’28), how her career on Broadway has been hindered by her poor singing ability.
Then, in “Montage, Part 1: Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love,” a montage of stories from various characters, the dancers discuss their awkward teenage years, including difficult high school teachers, tense relationships with their parents, and their experiences navigating sexuality. All the characters share about their lives, except Paul, who’s still too nervous to speak in front of the whole group.
Along with incredible acting and fabulous vocals, Spike Tape’s “A Chorus Line” brought amazing choreography (by Cassidy Kalke ’28 and Aniana Garciano ’28) together with top-of-the-line music (directed by Gavin Cui ’26 and Nathalie Borden ’27). Watching this production, you’d never know that the cast was performing a musical that is notorious for its difficult music and dance routines. The orchestra’s execution of the score was virtually flawless. Trust me, I’ve listened to the soundtrack dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Similarly, the choreography was exceptional, perfectly encapsulating the tone of each song as the show moved through its narrative-driven numbers.
I would be remiss to discuss the cast’s amazing dance performances without highlighting the performance of “The Music and The Mirror” at the show’s climax. That performance was emotional and mesmerizing as Cassie (Zamira Frost ’28) tries to express her irresistible desire to dance after Zach criticizes her for trying to return to the chorus after getting bigger roles.
As the audition winds down, Paul finally tells Zach the story of how he became a dancer in one of the most emotional moments of the show. Alienated because of his sexuality growing up, Paul explains that he always felt out of place in his family and community, until he auditioned for a drag show and landed a role playing a woman. Though he tries to hide it from his parents, they eventually go to see his show. Humiliated, Paul expects them to reject him, but his father simply tells the show’s producer to take care of [his] son. Paul breaks down crying, admitting it was the first time his father ever called him son, and Zach comforts him.
Moments later, when Paul trips while rehearsing a combination and has to be rushed to the hospital, the characters discuss what they’ll do after their dancing careers end. While they reflect on all the struggles they’ve faced for careers that have not always been rewarding, auditionee Diana (Chloé Naudet ’27) reminds them that when you love something so much that you’ll sacrifice anything for it, every moment, every struggle, and every trial is worth it.
With that in mind and tears in my eyes, after 8 semesters and 64 articles, I’ll leave you, my wonderful readers, with the words of “What I Did For Love,” which says everything I wish I could about my time on The Argus. Thank you for everything.
“Kiss today goodbye / And point me toward tomorrow / We did what we had to do / Won’t forget, can’t regret / What I did for love.”
Sulan Bailey can be reached at sabailey@wesleyan.edu.
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