Every Little Step

I've been wanting to watch the documentary “Every Little Step” ever since it came out in 2008. It captures the year-long process of casting for the revival of “A Chorus Line” that returned to Broadway in 2006, thirty-one years after its original debut in 1975. While I'm no musical theater aficionado, I've always loved “A Chorus Line” and am lucky enough to have seen it a couple of times. What hooks me into this musical is the realism behind the stories of the aspiring dancers who put their entire lives on display as they audition for the chorus line of a musical. These dancers are not vying for the lead roles- they are all (except for one person) looking for their first break via a spot in the chorus. While watching “Every Little Step”, one is struck by the fact that the auditions for this revival are a real-life mirror of the struggles faced by the different characters of “A Chorus Line”. The film cuts back and forth between the casting for the revival to the creation of the original production. In an interesting twist that bridges the past and the present, Baayork Lee, the original “Connie” when the musical debuted in 1975, was the choreographer for the revival version of the show. As a member of the casting team, she's watching young women audition for a role that was based on her true-life experiences.

The story for “A Chorus Line” was created from taped conversations that director/choreographer Michael Bennet held with real-life dancers. “Every Little Step” is interspersed with clips from these tapes that served as the genesis for the characters of the musical. The dancers being recorded were not afraid to be honest about themselves and this realism was transferred to the story. Recent interviews with Marvin Hamlisch (the show's music composer) and original cast members recount the challenges faced in staging the original production. The dancers auditioning for the revival version do not make themselves vulnerable to the same extent that their characters do but watching the year-long process makes clear the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into this vocation.

It's inspirational to watch this group of young people work so hard to fulfill their life-long dreams of appearing on Broadway. One of the things that separates them from the rest (besides their immense talent) is the fact that they are willing to make huge sacrifices and undertake exhausting work. Someone recently told me that most people quit a second too soon. That line reverberates with me as I think about the dancers in this film. When the final cast is selected and celebrated in their triumph, it's impossible not to feel elated as you watch.