Title: On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line

Authors: Robert Viagas, Baayork Lee, Thommie Walsh With the entire original Cast

IBSN: 978-0-87910-336-1

Advice: For the True fans of Musical Theatre

On the Line is a book about the landmark musical, A Chorus Line. The book relays the details of the idea behind, the development, and eventual success of a musical based on the lives of dancers auditioning for a show. It is written by those people directly involved in the process which gives the book a great sense of authenticity. Vaigas, Lee, and Walsh share alot of personal insight into the creation, rehearsal and pains of success that causes the book to read like an episode of VH1 ’s Behind the Music.

This book was orginally published in 1990 but has been updated to take into a slight account of the re-mounting of the 2006 production currently running on Broadway. I enjoyed this aspect because it caused the book to feel “current” and not like a history book. I found the appendix on the original cast very interesting. The fact that some eventual left the theatre all together and for some like Baayork Lee, A Chorus Line, has become almost a large portion of their career. Lee who created the role of Connie; for example, has directed more than thirty-five productions of A Chorus Line world wide and was directly involved in the 2006 Broadway revival as choreographer. Walsh who orignated the role of Bobby went on to a very successful career as a director and choreographer, collaborating with Tommy Tune which garnered him two Tony and Drama Desk Awards (A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine , 1980 and My One and Only, 1983). Every orginal cast member is updated and what I found fascinating was how a group of artists could be involved in such an intense experience that directly or indirectly continued to shape their lives after the last curtain call.

The book is a must read for the fans of A Chorus Line which I admit might be the understatement of the year; however, fans of Broadway and theatre will learn a lot from this tale. I was impressed by how much dedication and passion have to go into getting a show to broadway. It is easy to get lost in the “numbers” and “profit margin” of a show bound for Broadway that you lose sight of the human connection to the material which is ultimately required for the project to be successful. On the Line reminds me of this “human” element by relaying all the triumphs, losses, and hard work that this particular group of people experienced. This 376 page book (complete with photos from various stages in the evolution of this musical) demonstrates how “powerful” theatre is made by passionate people striving to tell a deeply “human” story.

Author: Denny Martin Flinn

Publisher: Limelight Editions

Copyright: 2006

ISBN: 0879103213

My advice: A must have for producers of shows in small theatres!

Okay, so you’ve got a smaller theatre with a limited budget and you want to do something to help raise your revenues at the box office.  Signups or club membership are currently closed.  Please check back later.

Wait, you’re also looking for a smaller-scale, lower budget musical to help with that?  Once memberships reopen, you will also have the option to buy a club jacket.

Seriously, that’s the one common denominator for all small theatres throughout the country.  They are all looking for the perfect show to help them make a lot of money without having to spend a lot of money in the process.  Mr. Flinn has written a great book that will help some theatres widen their search for “new” musicals to produce.  And, it’s the best under $20, tax-deductible purchase you will make. 

After a brief prologue, Mr. Flinn doesn’t waste any time getting into the list of shows, which he divides into three categories:  Book Musicals, Themed Revues and Composer/Lyricist Revues.  Each listing for a show contains all of the surface information that you will need to help you narrow your search for the perfect show for your company: 

• Author, Composer and Lyricist information
• Background info for the show
• Setting
• Brief summary of the plot
• Original Production information (including the original director and cast)
• Musical Numbers (broken down by Act)
• Licensing information

Then, Mr. Flinn provides his editorial comments about the show in the form of a short discussion of the difficulties and advantages of producing this show.  The book is as elegant as it is efficient.

After the list of the shows, there is a contact list of the Licensing companies and Writer’s Guilds to allow you to get in touch with the creators of the show. 

This book should be on the shelf of any Artistic Director of any small theatre company (or educational theatre) in the country.  It’s a great resource to help make season selections a little bit easier.

Buy it from Amazon!

Buy it from Limelight Editions!