A Chorus Line review: 'dazzling' musical remains 'exciting' 50 years on

The original 1975 production of "A Chorus Line" – about jobbing dancers auditioning for parts in a musical – was the longest-running hit in Broadway history until Cats stole its crown in 1997, said Fiona Mountford in The i Paper. 

This "thrilling" revival, which originated at Leicester's Curve and which will be touring the UK following its London run, proves that the show still has the power to entrance and mesmerise. Based on its original creator Michael Bennett's interviews with real-life dancers, "A Chorus Line" is structured around the tales of "difficult home lives, sexual confusion and body insecurity" that are drawn out of the auditioning dancers by a brutally old-fashioned director. But all this is really just a frame for a glorious feast of singing and dancing – performed here with consummate energy, commitment and skill by a crack cast. 

Fifty years on, "A Chorus Line" feels of its time, said David Benedict in The Stage, but its "knockout determination and drive remain intact and exciting". Ellen Kane's demanding choreography is executed superbly, and "everyone seizes their opportunities with both hands and, indeed, their entire hardworking bodies". 

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And there's no doubting the "enduring power" of Marvin Hamlisch's score, said Theo Bosanquet on What's on Stage. Standouts include "At the Ballet" and "What I Did for Love", while the first-rate ensemble and "electric" choreography shine in group numbers such as the "stunning opener" "I Hope I Get It". 

"There are neon-coloured hotpants galore and high kicks worthy of Olympic gymnasts" in this blockbuster, said Susannah Butter in The Times. And there's tension, too: the 17 auditionees smile, but they know that "one false move could lose them a job they're desperate for". After a few numbers, I did start to feel the lack of a plot, and wish for a bit more pace. 

But ultimately, said Tim Robey in The Telegraph, you forgive the wispiness of the story, owing to the "jazz-hands joy" delivered by this "mesmerising" evening. When the ensemble comes together for the rousing closing number, "One", you can hardly imagine the show "dazzling more incandescently".