REVIEW: Theatre Ancaster’s A Chorus Line kicks up its heels

The entertaining and enduring Broadway classic is the first production on Theatre Ancaster’s 30th anniversary playbill for 2026-2027.

Entering its final weekend of shows, Theatre Ancaster’s mainstage production of A Chorus Line provides a great opportunity to see a Broadway classic and be very well entertained by a robust cast of local performers. The run ends with a Sunday Aug. 16 matinee performance. Tickets are still available for all remaining performances. 

I didn’t fully recognize it at the time, but my middle-school music teachers were bonafide musical theatre nerds. As a consequence, about four decades later, I still remember the songs they taught us from Cats, West Side Story, and A Chorus Line. In the days leading up to the show, I found myself singing lyrics to two of A Chorus Line’s biggest numbers, “One” and “What I Did for Love,” amazed once more at how deeply musical memory embeds itself in the brain. In the days following the Ancaster performance, I have found myself still singing and humming those same songs, having finally seen the entire show.

As Theatre Ancaster describes it, “at its heart, A Chorus Line is an intimate, electric look into the lives of dancers fighting for their chance to shine. On a bare stage, a demanding Broadway director whittles down a group of hopefuls, asking each to share their personal story. What begins as an audition becomes a moving tapestry of joy, struggle, resilience, and the universal longing to be seen. These dancers – each with a unique past, a dream, and something to prove – lay their hearts on the line in hopes of landing one of just eight coveted spots.”

Still one of the longest-running Broadway musicals of all time, A Chorus Line was conceived and directed by Michael Bennett, with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. It was choreographed by Bennett and Bob Avian. It opened off-Broadway at The Public Theater in April 1975, and the theatre had to borrow over a million dollars in order to produce the show. Fortunately, advance buzz led to the entire run selling out. A Chorus Line moved to Broadway by July that same year, opening at the Shubert Theatre. A Chorus Line won nine of its 12 Tony Award nominations, swept most of the Drama Desk Awards, and went on to receive the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical also had a long run in the West End at Theatre Drury Lane, and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1976.

A Chorus Line ran on Broadway for 15 years, a record until it was surpassed by Cats in 1997. Between 1975 and 1990, it seated more than 6.5 million patrons and was second only to Cats in its profitability.

The story is set during auditions for, you guessed it, spots on the chorus line for a new Broadway production. During the pre-show at Theatre Ancaster, about two dozen dancers start to inhabit the stage as they stretch and get limber while nervously waiting for the audition to start. Every performer wants to make the cut, and if you’ve ever been in the running for a competitive role, whether onstage or for an office job or a sports team, the opening song "I Hope I Get It” will resonate. 

The director Zach (played by Chris Martel) and his assistant, choreographer Lori (Amelia Benedict) start to sort the candidates and put the dancers through their paces as the audience watches wave upon wave of dancers leap, spin, and sometimes stumble. It must be challenging for the talented dancers in the show to perform as though they don’t quite “have it,” while acting as though they really, really want it, all the while giving their performances nuance and without exaggerating the point.

After a round of cuts, we get introduced to several dancers in greater depth and learn their personalities and quirks as the director pushes to know more about them. Reluctantly, they describe memorable and sometimes painful events from the past and the circumstances that led them to become dancers. The director’s ultimate goal hangs over the remaining dancers like a judgement: he wants eight dancers, four men and four women. The dancers doubt themselves. It’s revealed that one dancer once had a relationship with the director. Another is injured. The tension spirals upward amid the unforgiving mirrors and bright electric lights. 

Rachel Beales, a theatre educator, producer and director, is at the helm of the Theatre Ancaster production. In her remarks in the program, she says: “While the story is rooted in the world of musical theatre, the questions it asks are universal: Who are we when we’re asked to prove our worth? Who do we choose to show the world? Who do we see reflected back at us? And who remains beneath the surface?

“What begins as an ordinary audition becomes an act of witnessing,” Beales says, “inviting us to look beyond technical skill to the lives, dreams, fears, and sacrifices that brought each dancer here.”

The Theatre Ancaster production of A Chorus Line is a success because of the collaboration of its talented cast, live musicians, and entire creative and production team. The cast presents a colourful slate of distinct and interesting character studies, while still somehow managing not to upstage one another. I do adore Maggie’s (Maya Ortega) gorgeous singing voice, Greg’s (Damian Gradson) swagger, Sheila’s (Julianne Smith) take-no-prisoners edge, Paul’s (Daniel Celorio) vulnerability, and Val’s (Lauren Ross) razzle dazzle, just to name a few. I applaud Kristen Reid’s (Cassie) ability to physically show how hard it would be for a former star to flatten out her dance style to be “just like everybody else” in the chorus.

The entire band deserves rousing applause for its exceptional sound, precision, and hard work. The choreographers, the vocal, band, and musical directors, the dance captains and stage manager – bravo, indeed. So much (beautifully controlled) movement and singing from your labours. Forgive me for not being able to name you all.

My only qualm? There is no intermission, and it feels like the show does need one. The second half drags a little in consequence, and the run time of the performance I attended (2 hours, 15 minutes) felt long without one.

Beales says that, “at its core, this show is a love letter to the theatre and to the people who continue to show up, despite the uncertainty, pressure, and sacrifice it demands.” Theatre Ancaster has put a lot of evident love and effort into this production.

A Chorus Line is the first production on Ancaster’s 30th anniversary, 2026-2027 playbill. Next up is On Golden Pond, running Sept. 11 to 20, followed by Come From Away, running Nov. 13 to 29.

NEED TO KNOW

A Chorus Line
Continues Aug. 14 & 15, 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 15 & 16 at 2 p.m.
Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre, Peller Hall
357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster
Tickets: 905-304-3232 or visit here
Run time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, no intermission
Audience warning: This show uses theatrical haze and flashing lights and has some strong adult language.