Every Little Step

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: DVD

For over three decades, there's been one singular sensation: A Chorus Line, the groundbreaking hit musical inspired by the emotional lives of dancers during the audition process. Now the story comes full circle as a new documentary offers a revealing, unprecedented look at the auditions for the Broadway revival of the perennial classic, including interview footage with Bob Avian, Michael Bennett, Charlotte d'Amboise, Marvin Hamlisch and Donna McKechnie to name a few. The music, the moves and the real-life drama - they're all here in a documentary that brings you closer to the footlights than you ever thought possible.
The engaging documentary Every Little Step threatens to be woefully insular--after all, it's about dancers auditioning for a Broadway revival of a musical about dancers auditioning for a musical. But what makes the musical A Chorus Line work--aside from memorable songs and topnotch choreography--is that while not everyone wants to sing and dance, everyone has had to apply for a job. So everyone can identify with the emotions applying for a job evokes. Similarly, viewers who don't even sing in the shower will understand the chaotic mix of ambition, anxiety, hope, and resentment that's churning in these very talented performers as they go through their paces. Balancing the audition process are interviews with performers from the original production and the creative team who crafted A Chorus Line from stories told by many of those original performers. The one missing voice is that of Michael Bennett, who originated the idea, shaped the process, and choreographed the dancing; fortunately, he's represented not only in affectionate anecdotes but also archival footage, including his touching acceptance speech when he won a Tony award for the show. Fans of A Chorus Line will find Every Little Step to be essential, but even the casual theatergoer will enjoy this backstage peek. --Bret Fetzer