Book Review-On the Line
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.