Paige Price returns to Theatre Aspen to direct ‘A Chorus Line’

06 Aug Paige Price returns to Theatre Aspen to direct ‘A Chorus Line’

One singular sensation comes to Aspen, via Theatre Aspen, July 3-25 in the form of “A Chorus Line.”

This summer marks the first time Paige Price has returned to Theatre Aspen as a guest artist in the past nine years, since moving on as the executive artistic director at Theatre Aspen —  a position she had for 10 years, up until 2017.

“Any excuse I have to come back to Colorado, I am happy to take advantage of,” she said. “It’s sort of a mixture of pride — remembering my time here and what we built and expectations to want to deliver something that is worthy of the place.”

She has helped update Theatre Aspen’s “A Chorus Line” while still honoring the legacy of the original show, which debuted off-Broadway in April 1975 and moved on to Broadway by July of the same year.

“We are not changing a word of the script, but we are changing the choreography — it is all new choreography except for the finale, the iconic number, ‘One,’” she said, adding that costumes have also been updated a bit.

While part of the motivation in altering the choreography stems from the shape of the theater and the desire to embrace the environment, the other comes from wanting to include more dancing.

“I would venture to say this is a very athletic version of ‘A Chorus Line,’” she said. “Many of the numbers in the original involved the person who’s telling their story stepping in front of the line to take stage by themselves. In our version, I would say that is the rarity. Most of the numbers involve the entire ensemble. They participate in the memories of all the dancers.”

For example, the original version of “A Chorus Line” did include some dancing upstage during the number “At the Ballet,” but in this one, an entire world of ballet swirls around the main characters.

“Every inch of the stage is used by the whole company,” she said.

Other formerly static highlights, such as one of the characters, Greg, telling his story, now involve backup singers.

“It’s just a little bit more kinetic,” she said. “Athletic, kinetic: Those two words say it all.”

Overall, the musical showcases the stories of 17 dancers auditioning for hard-won roles in the chorus of a new production. Throughout the show, many get cut, while others step into the spotlight to share some of their deepest experiences — and personalities — as part of the audition process. One describes struggling to find her artistic voice yet feeling “nothing” in a particularly emotive acting class; others share the magic of ballet as an escape from unhappy childhoods; still others reflect upon the awkward transition into adolescence.

“I like the connection from the past to the future,” she said. “The dreams don’t change. The dancer’s devotion doesn’t change. The dancer sacrifice doesn’t change. So it’s actually the same story … There’s a timelessness to this story. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish: the timelessness of the actual experience of the dancer hasn’t changed.”

Recreating a musical without changing it a bit limits freedom of expression, but this version builds upon the individuals within the company.

“So sometimes when I say, ‘Well, what would you do?’ they’re a little surprised. The people that have done the show, like (Antonia Vivino as) Maggie, for instance … she found it really refreshing and said that the newness of how the characters relate makes it a rich experience,” Page said.

“That’s really refreshing for the people that have done the show before. It makes them watch the other actors even more and look for opportunities. That’s what we have invited them to do — to look for opportunities, to tell a story that might only be yours, that the audience might not even pick up, but it makes your throughline more interesting in this full day that we are depicting where you’re in the trenches with these people, some of whom you don’t know, and maybe by the end of the day, you have a new friend or maybe by the end you have someone you never want to see again. It’s a day in the life. It’s an opportunity for them to bring relationships to life, as well as characters.”

As usual, the caliber of talent is top notch. Paige said that she’s “extremely impressed” with the apprentices in the company.

“They are not backups in any way. They have a big job to do, and they’re college kids, (but) they are on stage with Broadway veterans, and they hold their own,” she said.