Cappies Review: 'A Chorus Line: Teen Edition' At South County High School

By Shia Ringold of Quince Orchard High School

Five, six, seven, eight! Lights flash and trumpets blare as South County High School invites audiences to get up and dance with their production of "A Chorus Line: Teen Edition."

"A Chorus Line" is a musical originally conceived, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett with a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Edward Kleban. The show premiered off-Broadway in 1975 and quickly rose in popularity, hitting Broadway the same year. Also notable is the show's film adaptation, which was released a decade later, and its 2006 Broadway revival. The story follows a group of seventeen actors as they audition to be in an upcoming Broadway musical and explores each character's background as they share past life events that shaped them and inspired them to dance.

While a lighthearted comedy, the show deals with mature and relevant topics, difficult for any highschooler to portray. Leila Slye as Paul (45) did an exceptional job at this by skillfully conveyed the character's struggles with his sexual orientation. From the show's opening, Slye utilized physical mannerisms like closed-off shoulders and fidgeting to develop Paul as shy and reserved, later dropping these behaviors as the character gained confidence. The highlight of the performance was in the monologue where Paul finally opened up, sharing his experiences with internalized homophobia, differing cultural views on homosexuality, and self-acceptance, in a truly moving performance ending in tears and a hug from choreographer, Zach. Additionally, Samantha Stephan as Val (179) expertly navigated issues with body image and conventional standards of beauty in her song "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" where her frustrations with body discrimination and the toxic dance industry grew. Stephan's anger developed through the song as her movements became bigger and her singing louder, serving as a reminder to audiences that all bodies are beautiful just the way they are.

Other standout performances include Caprice Aspland as Sheila (152) whose sassy one-liners, deadpan humor, and bold character kept audiences consistently chuckling throughout. Also, Lea Ahrens shone as Diana (2), displaying clear vocal prowess in her song "Montage Part 2: Nothing" with a strong belt and crisp vibrato. Finally, Cassie DellaVedova as Cassie (No Number) had an aptitude for dance, presented in "The Music and the Mirror" where she leapt, twirled, spun, and kicked while sharing her passion for dance.

South Country's production was further enhanced by its technical elements. The show's costume crew (Dexter Burris, Shika Kumar, and Zoe Cabot) made many thoughtful design choices relevant to each character. Basketball player, Richie (44) (Xander Nailing) came to the audition in basketball shorts while father, Don (5) (Connor Greenstein) wore a tee shirt reading "#1 Dad." Also impressive was the show's lighting, courtesy of William Waugh, Kareena Kasperowski, and Natalie Mitchell. The team used artificial fog on stage to make the lighting effects more apparent, adding a dramatic flair to the show. In large group numbers the lights changed colors, positions, and even matched with the South County Pit Orchestra, flashing brighter with each cymbal crash or trumpet blast. During solo moments, each auditioner was spotted in their individual color with the rest of the stage dimming and the over-400-feet of LED lights that framed the stage lighting up in their color as well.

Brimming with humor, talent, and zeal, the cast and crew of "A Chorus Line: Teen Edition" at South County High School were certainly "one singular sensation."