REVIEWED BY IVY KAYE
EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER
Walking up the stairs of Parkville’s Arts and Cultural Building, I was transported into a kind of theatre within a theatre. Having taken my seat, and waited for the lights to dim, I was met with A Chorus Line’s familiar opening of ‘Again!’ coming from just a few rows ahead of me. The show, following a group of aspiring Broadway dancers as they try out for a part in a chorus, throws you right into the middle of the audition. And creative director Zach, played by Joe Mione, brings the entire audience into the process with him, dashing in and out of the rows of seats as he shouts instructions to the anxious performers.
From the very first musical number, ‘I Hope I Get It,’ the production’s spotlight on its own ensemble cast shines through. Each dancer is given a chance to show off as Zach commands them through a series of ballet sequences, much to the delight of the cheering audience. We’re also given brief glimpses into the play’s later emotional heart – namely, in the fleeting moments between Zach and Cassie (Ruby Ure), and the reserved fear that Paul (Daniel Flynn) seems to carry, subtly withdrawing into himself, his hands creeping into the pockets of his hoodie.
After the first stage of the audition, and each of the dancers is given a chance to briefly introduce themselves, the musical is able to get into its incredibly fun formula: zoom in closely on one member of the cast, give them a song with which to prove why they deserve the part in the titular chorus line, and show off some fantastically fun music and dance.
As someone who has played clarinet and saxophone for a separate production of A Chorus Line, I’m very familiar with just how catchy and intricate and incredible the music truly is, and the band here absolutely did it justice. My main surprise was just how much I loved the dancing – most of my prior experience with the show has been listening from behind a music stand, with very little idea of what was actually happening on stage, so I was able to re-examine a show I already loved with a whole new, equally impressive layer of depth added in. The second song ‘I Can Do That’, for example, a number that goes into the backstory of tap dancer Mike and his experience showing up to his sister’s dance lessons, is filled with not only some of the best brass and saxophone lines of the entire show, but a similarly fun dance sequence where actor Jake Rantino is able to show off to his heart’s content. With numbers like ‘And…’, where the ever-dramatic Robbie monologues about his love of performance, and “Sing!”, where dancer Kristine laments about her inability to stay in tune, despite her husband Al’s coaching, the first half of the show is mostly light-hearted, taking its eclectic cast of characters and showing off the things that make them fun. You almost forget that they’re supposed to be in a serious audition, if not for Zach, who weaves through the audience as a constant reminder of the show’s emotional stakes.
That’s not to say the entire first half is sunshine and rainbows, however, due to the presence of standout song ‘At the Ballet’. Where the rest of the show thus far had used its backup dancers to create a sense of flair and style throughout, this song begins with a black stage, with only Sheila (Bronte Hare) stood in the middle. Sheila is confident, almost smug, around the rest of the cast, but ‘At the Ballet’ allows her to show off a before-unseen kind of vulnerability, as she sings about her troubled family history and her escape into the perfect storybook world of the ballerina. It’s only when the voices of Bebe (Sophie Edwardes) and Maggie (Asha Franklin) join in, turning the solo number into a gorgeous trio, that the dancers move across the stage, and the song explodes into a beautiful rush of movement.
The midpoint of the show is marked by its incredibly fun four-part ‘montage’ sequence, in which the entire cast is given their time in the spotlight as they all chronicle the events during their adolescence that shaped their dancing careers. It’s also where the show is at its most comedic: the word “gonorrhoea” is shouted a few times, the cast comes together to make a car shape as Don (Ella Crathern) describes a “big pink CADILLAC… CONVERTIBLE,” and Gregory (Toby Skerrat) describes embarrassing stories from his puberty – “I’d just look at a bus… and BINGO!” The crew is also given their chance to shine here, as the lighting changes dramatically and frantically to match each of the complicated time signature changes, as well as for comedic effect, pairing each mention of gonorrhoea with a sudden flash of green lighting.
That’s not to say the entire montage is made up of comedy, however, containing a few standalone songs woven into the mix. Namely, the stunning ‘Nothing,’ my favourite song of the entire show, appears during the second part of the montage, in which Diana Morales, played by Harriet Gould, sings about her experiences in acting class and her struggles with her teacher, Mr. Carp. It’s a stunning vocal performance, paired with some of the most fun musical parts of the entire show (I have very fond memories of the clarinet parts in this number!), and some endlessly quotable lyrics that Gould delivers with tons of character.
Similarly quotable and fun is the finale of the montage’s final section, led by Richie (Liv Jones). It’s arguably the most energetic section of the whole show, as Richie echoes a repeated shout of “gimme the ball!” However, it was difficult to hear Jones over the entire ensemble cast’s singing, and I would have appreciated some changes to the sound mix to ensure that one of the production’s standout moments was actually able to stand out.
After the montage sequence and the iconic ‘Dance: Ten; Looks: Three’, we are treated to the real emotional core of the show: the one-two punch of Paul’s monologue to Zach, and Cassie’s stunning song ‘The Music and the Mirror’. Paul brings a much-needed seriousness to the show, telling the story of his relationship with his own queerness, family and masculinity in a performance that genuinely brought tears to my eyes. Daniel Flynn brings out Paul’s chronic awkwardness as well as his deep sadness, the character’s real personality shining through as he slowly sheds his anxious exterior. His desire to dance and perform comes from a place of longing for acceptance, even if it means abandoning his relationship with his family. And it’s only here, in this theatre-within-a-theatre, that he can express that. The monologue’s ending, through no fault of the cast or production team, was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing somewhere near the band, slightly cutting through the emotional atmosphere and taking me out of the immersion, but even that couldn’t undermine the raw emotion of the performance.
Directly afterwards, Ruby Ure as Cassie delivers a spectacular performance, bringing out her commitment to dance and perform no matter what. As ‘The Music and the Mirror’ begins, her reserved demeanour fractures and she begins pleading for a job in dance regardless of what it is, slowly opening up and effortlessly gliding across the stage in a virtuosic dance sequence. The relatively minimalist set design, featuring only a set of three mirrors in the background, works wonders for this number, allowing Ure to command the open space and, seeing her own reflection, connect with her character’s passion for dance.
The rest of the show builds off the feelings that Paul and Cassie establish, that is, that a life in the arts and being able to perform for a living is worth the sacrifice it requires. The central musical number, ‘One,’ ties up both of their stories: Paul, in all of his desperate desire to earn the role, ends up pushing himself too far and injuring himself, and Cassie, determined to prove that a role in the chorus isn’t beneath her, makes a point of just wanting to be part of the group, wanting to dance alongside this group of people as interesting and passionate as she is.
As the show reaches its final moments, the entire cast, led by Harriet Gould in another stellar musical performance, comes together to sing ‘What I Did For Love’, a musical monument to their love of performing and the hardship they’ve gone through in order to have a chance of making this life for themselves. By the end of the show, it almost doesn’t matter who made it through the audition or not – it feels inconsequential in the face of the sense of community that the show creates.
By allowing time for each cast member to have their own big moment, before they all come together at the very end, A Chorus Line proves itself to be the perfect show for the students of St. Hilda’s College to sink their teeth into, delivering a huge love letter to theatre and the arts as a whole, and giving their audience an absolute blast of a performance in the process.
A Chorus Line was presented by St Hilda’s College at the Union Theatre 13 – 15 August, 2026.
IVY KAYE (she/her) is a second-year Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Music student! When she’s not writing reviews for Farrago and now The Dialog, she plays saxophone, keys, and clarinet, and is obsessed with writing about all things music and live performance.
CHARLOTTE FRASER (she/her) is a writer, performer and editor based in Melbourne. She holds a BA in English and Theatre Studies and is currently completing her Masters degree at the University of Melbourne. Charlotte is also the 2026 Dialog Editor.
The Dialog is supported by Union House Theatre
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