It's been a bit of time since I've started writing reviews for the Arts section of the Justice. By now, I've slipped into a pretty stable and reliable reviewing routine. I sit as close to the middle of the auditorium as possible. I turn off my cell phone and unwrap my soothing lozenge before the show begins. I make three columns on my sheets of notebook paper: Staging, Themes/Symbolism and Performers. Throughout the show, I take a lot of time to scribble on my papers; I take note of striking visuals, write down names of actors and just comment on the show in general. This universal scheme of annotation has always been helpful when I sit down to type out my thoughts. But Tymphanium Euphorium's production of A Chorus Line was an exception. My pages are almost completely bare, my columns without any filler. This is the first time a theatrical performance had so completely captured my attention that I couldn't pull away during the whole show to put my pen to paper. Needless to say, it was fantastic. The concept of A Chorus Line is ingenious. By circling around a dancing audition process, it taps into a well of emotion that most other shows can't. All actors have had to face its subject material before-most of the cast probably felt the same sentiments auditioning for this show as well. Some people can't really pull off being a heroin-addicted druggie, a fledging opera star or a cat as some other shows may require. Those are unknowable characters, and some actors fail at reaching beyond themselves to depict the character (that's how we get the Keanu Reeves version of Dracula). But all performers have had to go through the harrowing audition process before. All have had to deal with the crushing and unforeseeable future of their professions. All have had to search, or plead, for acceptance by their parents. And because the story is so real for each actor on the stage, each portrayal feels raw and honest, without a trace of the unfortunate woodenness of premiere-night performers. Kudos to director Johanna Wickemeyer '12 for using this great resource to create a tender depth in the show.

It isn't enough to say that all members of the company were fine actors. Because the show so easily facilitated great acting, great chemistry flowed among the cast as well. The right amount of friendly-but-decidedly-cutthroat sentiment buzzed in the makeshift dance studio on stage. And though most of the time they were presented in a line on stage (quite close to the audience, I might add), each actor took care to keep in character, even while doing nothing. Doug Friedman '10 stayed the imperious yet grittily real director; Ell Getz '13 remained as the Boricua Fire; Abigail Clarke '12, the sassy older woman with a biting tongue. Those are just a few of the fine actors on the line.

Of the dancing, I was honestly impressed. A Chorus Line is difficult in that each actor must be a triple threat. And though not everyone was as fine a dancer as was required, I applaud the cast for still being enthusiastic and keeping the dancing strong, and I also applaud choreographers Greg Storella '11 and Julie Judson '11 for their work.

Though I quite sincerely commend each and every member of the cast for his or her fantastic performance that night, one performer stands out in my mind. Jared Greenberg '12 plays Paul, a Puerto Rican who first worked in a drag show. An incredible singer and a highly sympathetic actor and dancer, Greenberg completely filled the auditorium with his voice and presence. When he performed his character's monologue detailing Paul's life before auditioning for the chorus line, I could not pull my eyes away from the stage. His performance was arresting, emotionally alive without being overdone and deserving of the highest praise.

Since I prefer to watch straight plays, I don't usually enjoy musicals. To me, a portrayal of life in which people randomly burst into song seems false and weird. The one musical I watched of my own accord ("watched" being a misleading term since I was in the last row of the last tier sitting in the leftmost corner of the theater and couldn't really "watch" anything) was Les Miserables, a work that is one of the highlights of the year to most people. I found Les Miserables decent, stomachable really. But after watching A Chorus Line, I feel that maybe, just maybe, musicals might deserve a second chance in my book.