Theater Review: 'A Chorus Line' Shines in the Dance Sequences

A Chorus Line opens with a "step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch." In this production at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater (SPAT) in Circuit Makati, all it takes is a "5, 6, 7, 8" to fully immerse in the world they've built: a nerve-wracking audition for a chorus line—a group of dancers who perform synchronized routines, typically in a musical.

Miguel Urbino's set design establishes this physicality immediately, transforming the grand proscenium into an intimate dance studio. Like any rehearsal space, mirror panels surround the ensemble, serving as both a visual cue of where we are and an anchor that pulls the audience into the same headspace as the performers. The moving mirror panels are also part of the choreography, making the rehearsal space itself feel like one of the characters.

Then there are the retractable mirror panels that extend from above the stage, emphasizing the movements below and almost throwing these images to the audience, as if to force us to scrutinize the dancers with the same unforgiving eye as the director, Zach, played by Conrad Ricamora. From where we're seated, we aren't just watching a performance, we're dissecting every step and kick, the labor behind every movement.

Director Karla Puno Garcia's blocking for Ricamora’s character complements this atmosphere. In one beat, he's behind the Orchestra Center rows; in another, he's in one of the boxes or on the balcony. The entire theater, not only the stage, becomes an extension of the audition room, where audience members become spectators to the whole process.

With a choreographer in the director's chair, this version shines in its dance sequences. The cast members execute every move in sharp, military precision. We see this as early as the first track, "I Hope I Get It," which sets the tone that this dance musical is all about straight lines, uniform kicks, and exact timing. It's interesting that the chorus line in A Chorus Line moves as a single unit, and yet, its narrative is also built on the individual stories of its cast. This paradox makes the material a challenge to stage.

And that's where this production falters. While the chorus line is a line of dancers (as mentioned several times already), the musical itself (not the musical within the musical) requires its cast members to be triple threats: dance, sing, and act with equal proficiency. But here, the transition from collective movement to monologue often results in a drop in energy and even authenticity. The actors' vulnerability feels rehearsed, their lines like memorized declamations, and a cadence that is too perfectly timed rather than coming from an emotional impulse. It's too straight, uniform, and exact, to a fault. It's hard to set one actor apart from another, as no one seems to be truly outstanding—for better or worse, this is an ensemble after all.

Except maybe for Lissa De Guzman, who plays Cassie, an ex-chorus line dancer who already had success as a soloist. So yeah, her role really requires her to stand out, and that she did, especially in her big solo, "The Music and the Mirror."

Throughout the musical, we get only crumbs of the tension between Cassie and Zach—hardly enough to warrant their explosive confrontation in the second act. That climax feels less like a hard-earned high point and more like a singular, low-energy blip. It doesn’t help that Ricamora’s treatment of Zach leans into a "done-with-the-world" frustration that feels all too familiar. (It's hard to unsee the shadow of his awkward Oliver from How to Get Away with Murder.)

Yet, just as all the other elements stall, the finale "One" reels us back in. With its flashy lights, iconic gold costumes, and synchronized elegance, it reminds us that A Chorus Line is, at its core, a visual masterclass of the human body in motion. As it should be. But then again, this is a musical.

This is a review of the gala performance on March 11, one day before opening.

A Chorus Line runs until March 29 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati. Ticket prices range from P900 to P5,500. Available through TicketWorld.

This production is presented in arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.

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