Back in 2021, as we were taking tentative steps out of the lockdowns and finding confidence to go out again into busy places I was lucky enough to see the first incarnation of A Chorus Line at Curve Theatre in Leicester. It was a fabulous production which helped to take me out of myself for just over an hour and a half and it was so very cathartic as I was struggling so badly with social anxiety. Unfortunately, due to increasing concerns about new Covid variants the run was cut short – a sad ending for the hard work from all the members of the cast and crew involved.

It seems that the director of that original show, Nikolai Foster, along with Jonathan Church Theatre Productions felt the same way and it has been brought back to the Curve Theatre stage for a new lease of life – and what a lease of life it is! Nikolai has a magical touch when it comes to envisioning productions like this and he has, once again, breathed that magic into this amazing show along with his production team, crew and cast.

A Chorus Line is about an audition – quite a brutal one and, according to Nikolai, very different to the audition processes he uses (thankfully!). It tells the stories of a group of dancers trying to find work in an industry that is famous for being hard to get into and the opening number of “I Hope I Get It” really shows the fears and trepidations these auditionees are feeling. How they don’t want to be waiting tables or serving bar – they want to be doing what they love – dancing.

The set, designed by Grace Smart, is stark. No drapes, no scenery or distractions it doesn’t hide anything (apart from one particular aspect which I won’t tell you about as I don’t want to spoil the impact of it). Much of the atmosphere is created by Howard Hudson’s awesome use of lighting and a return of the video camera used in the recent production of Evita. I wasn’t a fan of the camera during Evita but I think it works very well with this production – especially as so many auditions these days start with self tapes as opposed to face to face and it was cleverly used to highlight the anxieties and inner thoughts of the ensemble.

The entire cast is a strong one with Adam Cooper returning to play Zach – adding something different to the original film’s slightly bland character of the director. We see a strong, single-minded man who knows what he wants but who also wants to find dancers who will gel together, finding this out by getting them to delve into themselves and share with the rest of the ‘line’. Adam Cooper brings compassion to the role and his solo dance near the end of the show really does bring to mind Zach’s passion for the arts.

Stand out vocals came from Cassie (Carly Mercedes Dyer) and Diana Morales (Jocasta Almgill) as they powered through their solos. Having seen Carly in the 2021 version and Jocasta representing Curve at West End Live this month I knew they were going to be good but they were so much more than good – they were fantastic. The rest of the cast’s vocals were also very good but these two stood out for me.

The routines, beautifully choreographed by Ellen Kane, are crisp, clean and confident with some gorgeous lines (both of the leg and staging variety) and dances throughout. The tell-tale piece of how good these dances and dancers are is in the iconic “One” which was showcased at both the Big Night of Musicals hosted by Jason Manford in January of 2024 and the final of Britain’s Got Talent in June ’24. It truly is wonderful to see Curve getting so much well deserved recognition now for it’s wonderful productions.

All of this, underpinned by a cracking pit led by musical director Matthew Spalding and costumes designed by Edd Lindley pay homage to the original film and hopefully any die-hard fans of the original out there will love it as much as I did tonight.

It is a big production – in terms of the numbers of people involved and I am so glad it is back on our Curve stage util 13th July before heading off on tour around the country before finding its home at Sadlers Wells for the Summer Season. That original 2021 production deserved so much more and this epic creation delivers just that.

Even the programme is huge! Chunkier than many programmes you can get these days it is packed with information and gorgeous images from the show. It also has a very poignant tribute to Kay Magson who passed away in September 2023 but who played a big part in the original casting of the 2021 show and you can see the love that both Nikola Foster and Chris Stafford, Curve’s Chief Executive, have for her in that tribute.

I am definitely looking forward to going back to see A Chorus Line later this week and again next! You can get your tickets here or via the box office at Curve.