DVD Review: Every Little Step

March 10, 2010

In 2005, three thousand dancers, actors, and singers attended an open call in New York City for the first Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, one of the most successful and beloved musicals ever created. They came from all over the world, drawn by the chance to show off their talents to a room of Broadway producers, to vie against the odds for one of the twenty-six coveted spots in the revival cast, and to realize the dream of becoming a Broadway performer. The process took eight months from open call to the final, nail-biting callbacks. On hand were filmmakers Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern who filmed it all to create what would become the breathtaking documentary, Every Little Step.

In a nod to the spirit of the show, (A Chorus Line was inspired by taped interviews with real chorus dancers about their lives, and is about those dancers auditioning for a show), Every Little Step similarly captures the turbulent lives of performers – the humiliations, insecurities, passions, thrills, and incessant disappointments – through interviews and candid moments outside the audition room. It also offers an intimate look into the casting process, the creative choices behind the successful 2007 revival, and captures gutsy, jaw-dropping work from a whole spate of extraordinarily driven performers.

Charged with raw nerves, dreams and hope, Every Little Step is a moving film for theater lovers, dancers, singers, actors, So You Think You Can Dance, Glee and American Idol fans, dreamers, and anyone who’s ever practiced their heart out at anything. Layered with interviews featuring performers from the historic original Broadway run, archival footage of the original cast, and audio from the original tapes that inspired the show, it’s also a film for anyone who loves a well-crafted, masterfully edited documentary. Yep, it had me in tears more than once. (Jarrett, The Loft)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S_Av4aHCAw&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

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