IMDB RANK = 4.5/10
Description
"A Chorus Line," as most everybody knows, is about auditions. "Every Little Step" is a documentary about auditioning for "A Chorus Line" (which is about auditions, see?).
Too clever by half? No, too too good - an absolutely terrific film, which combines Broadway history, closeups of generations of artists, the suspense of many contests for the coveted spots in the cast, the triumph and heartbreak of "what they did for love," an introduction to and/or re-experiencing one of the seminal musicals of our time.
The late Michael Bennett's original production of "A Chorus Line" ran on Broadway for 15 years from 1975 on, was seen by six million people, it won a Pulitzer, nine Tonys, and many other awards. Subsequent productions have circled the globe.
It all started with an all-night session of dancers in 1974, invited by Bennett to talk about their lives. There was an open-reel recorder in the room, and the tape survived to this day. Excerpts from it, text that went right into the show, are heard in "Every Little Step," along with snippets of the original production, public appearances and conversations between Bennett and his colleagues, including the director/choreographer Bob Avian.
Interspersed with scenes from the origins and legacy of the show are the settings of the recent present as Avian and others - including the original "Connie," Baayork Lee, now the choreographer - are auditioning singers and dancers for the 2006 restaging of "A Chorus Line." The camera follows relentlessly the young hopefuls on and off stage, winners and losers alike in breathtaking Cinéma vérité.
In one unforgettable scene, the very young Jason Tam's audition with "Paul's monologue" (about a father's acceptance of his gay son) has all the hardbitten audition judges in tears, amazingly so as they have heard that text constantly for over three decades.
Another scene with "Cassie" dancer Charlotte d'Amboise's father - the great Balanchine star Jacques d'Amboise - is poignant as the aged and crippled dancer speaks glowingly of the power and beauty of ballet.
In the mix of dancers' real life, the show about it, the life and artistry of those auditioning for the roles, everything coheres into an affecting, fascinating, eventually deeply moving whole.
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