Every Little Step

It took me nearly 2 years but I finally got to the Kendall Square Theatre in Cambridge. This place is buried near an office complex. In the past, I've tried a couple of times to find it and now I realize that I was within blocks of it but couldn't quite find it. I feel like a moron because I finally relied on Google Maps and the satellite view to track the place. So now I know that it's about 1/2 hour walk from where I live and I'll be able to find it again.

The reason I hiked over there was to see the documentary EVERY LITTLE STEP which partly details the history of the stage musical "A Chorus Line" and partly details the casting process for the revival that opened in 2006 and the production that is still touring around the U.S.

I have to step back a bit and say that I saw this show numerous times in its initial incarnation. I saw the first national tour in Boston and the New York production numerous times between 1976 and its closing in 1990 when it was the then-longest running musical. So the show has a soft spot in my heart. I did not see the revival because I was working freelance and money was tight. I had more or less given up going to Broadway shows by that time due to the cost and due to disappointment in the few musicals I had seen in recent years.

I'll post a fuller review at my website soon but for now, what I will say is that the movie was good but in my opinion, the filmmakers couldn't decide if they wanted to make a history of the show or detail the casting of the latest production. As such, EVERY LITTLE STEP seems a little unfocused. Also, the filmmakers (James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo) try to create suspense over who will be cast when anyone who either saw the show or even read a review of it would know the outcome.

Still, there are moments that when the film soars -- like watching Jason Tam audition for the role of Paul and a large-scale dance audition that recalls the opening of Bob Fosse's great film ALL THAT JAZZ.

For a rating I'd have to give the movie a B.