Since its 1975 premiere, A Chorus Line, one of Broadway’s longest running musicals, has had a number of revivals around the world. The ever popular musical even became a movie starring a fabulous looking Michael Douglas in 1985, so when I heard Willoughby Musical Society were putting on a new production of it, I had to get myself a seat.

This show isn’t on Broadway and doesn’t have the backing of a million dollar film, but for community theatre its worth a look. The cast are mostly young, very vibrant and enthusiastic. The group dance numbers are all well choreographed and the famous One finale number is dynamic. One of the challenges of performing at the Zenith Theatre, Chatswood, is its very small stage. Trying to get 24 dancers in unison in that space is no easy task, yet choreographer Jess T does an amazing job regardless.

Unfortunately it’s the solo performances that let the show down. This was opening night so there is still time to ‘iron out’ some of the lighting, and microphone issues. The orchestra at times was so loud it drowned out the performers, especially during ‘acting’ components which didn’t really require any musical accompaniment.

It could have been a case of opening night jitters as some of the solo performers struggled with their numbers, and there were numerous pitch and tone errors which were quite obvious. One major concern was that some of the more veteran cast members staggered and stumbled over their lines of dialogue which by this point really shouldn’t happen.

But there were also some stand-out performances, in particular Josephine Ison as Diana who was spot-on with her performance of Nothing and also did a beautiful rendition of What I Did For Love. Michael Osborne held his own and was very amusing as Mark and Victor Aguilera delivered a poignant and heart-rending portrayal of Paul.

For fans of big budget musicals the likes of Phantom Of The Opera, Billy Elliot, or Wicked this show is not for you. However if you’d like to see a musical at community theatre prices with a cast of energetic kids then you’ll enjoy this one. But hurry, the season only runs until May 9 and most performances are totally sold out!

A Chorus Line is playing on selected nights at Zenith Theatre, Cnr McIntosh St and Railway Pde, Chatswood – Until May 9.