Let’s do the whole combination, facing away from the mirror. From the top! Five, six, seven, eight! If these words resonate for you, you should finish reading this and then immediately step, kick, kick, leap your way to the closest theater showing Every Little Step. At a time when no career choice seems safe, even those who are not fans of musical theater will marvel at the passion and commitment of those in this documentary, as they pursue careers that are never a safe choice.

Every Little Step chronicles the arduous audition process for the 2006 Broadway revival of the hit musical A Chorus Line, which tells the story of dancers and their lives while they, well, audition for Broadway musicals. The original Broadway production of A Chorus Line opened in 1975, won nine Tony awards and a Pulitzer and ran for fifteen years.

Every Little Step alternates scenes of the auditions for the revival with archival footage and interviews about the original production. It is especially illuminating to hear Michael Bennett (who conceived, choreographed and directed the original production and died in 1987), Marvin Hamlisch (who wrote the music) and others talk about their early ideas. Bennett asked his dancer friends to talk about their lives and to allow the conversations to be taped. According to Donna McKechine, dancer and original cast member (and Bennett’s ex-wife), the sessions were “around a table with a jug of wine.” It was these audio tapes that eventually became the basis for A Chorus Line.  

Through these interviews and archival footage that had been locked in a safe deposit box, we hear part of the revelatory story Bennett tells the dancers at the start of taping to make them feel more comfortable when disclosing the intimate details of their lives. The anecdote is about Bennett confronting his homosexuality as a young dancer in West Side Story while on the roof of a hotel in Israel. Other snippets of stories are equally as effective. Although I saw a touring company production of the original show and the 2006 Broadway revival, I had no idea how close some of the words and lyrics in A Chorus Line are to the actual words captured on those reel to reel tapes.

The film begins with an open casting call for the revival of A Chorus Line that attracted over 3000 people. “I really need this job,” states one young performer, echoing the lyrics of one of the show’s songs. Then she adds that her unemployment is about to run out. Through a series of call backs, the group grows smaller until 26 are hired. Every Little Step shows every agonizing step, as the auditions take eight months. We meet many of the performers at the start and see parts of their auditions and their reactions as the auditions continue. I was extremely nervous watching this tortuous process and found myself rooting for practically everyone in the film.

It is fascinating to see Bob Avian, co-choreographer of the original production, and original cast member Baayork Lee cast the revival. Those auditioning for the role of Sandy (played by Lee in the original production and based on her life) are nervous in front of Lee. Lee is especially tough on a young Asian woman who was not born in the United States. She thought the role needed the energy of a born and bred American. “There is something about fighting for a seat on the F train,” she insists.

We live in an age where people regularly lose weight, live together, date, propose marriage and eat bugs on reality television shows. The idea that some personal details are too personal to discuss in film or television seems outdated. So how does Every Little Step differ from what we see too much of on television? These performers choose to go to an audition, to pursue their dreams of being part of a Broadway musical. They did not intend to be part of a documentary, but they signed waivers that allowed the auditions to be filmed, for the first time In Actors’ Equity history, and eventually got used to the cameras. And these cameras recorded every wrong note, bad dance step and deficient line reading.

As I left the theater, I realized that I had learned little about the personal lives or preferences of those in the documentary. But I felt I knew them intimately. Although the cameras documented the success of a lucky few, they also documented failure and rejection. These brave performers allowed us to see them give everything they had to pursue their dreams, and learn that it was not enough. Their rejection was public and important to them, and many of them were willing to talk about it, even as they fought tears. This seemed so much more personal than any “revelation” on a reality television show.

Rachelle Rak, a theater veteran who made it through all of the callbacks but lost the part of Sheila at the last audition, was asked if she regretted signing the waiver. She answered, “If the audience is able to see all the joy, passion and heart that I put into the audition, then why not the pain and disappointment too? That’s all part of the story.” How many of us have that passion for our professions? How many of us wish that we did? Would we be willing to go through eight months of physically and emotionally demanding trials with no guarantee of success? It is impossible to watch Every Little Step without wondering about our own passions. And that is also part of the story.

Every Little Step.  Directed by Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern. With Bob Avian, Michael Bennett (archive footage), Rachelle Rak , Charlotte d’Amboise, Jacques d’Amboise, Marvin Hamlisch, Donna McKechine and Baayork Lee.   Sony Pictures Classics, 2009.

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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