Every Little Step *****

A remarkable and moving documentary, "Every Little Step" recounts the original construction of "A Chorus Line" by Michael Bennett as it shows us the casting of the revival of the Broadway smash, which is, of course, about the casting of a Broadway chorus line. Bob Avian, co-choreographer of the original, leads a team working through thousands of dancers, and ever-smaller call-backs. Thanks to unprecedented access to Equity actors in the auditioning process, we see, for real, what goes on in the casting of a show. Michael Bennett appears in archival footage explaining the show's origins. Composer Marvin Hamlisch explains how the songs and the show evolved in the "workshop" process that Bennett invented.

This movie has everything we love about backstage stories. We see the real stories of the dancers vying for the roles based on other real dancers. We see an audition that brings the veteran producers to tears. We see performances that bring joy and delight, and some that are just not up to Broadway standards. At the end we've seen much of the show, and realize with something of a start how many great songs were absorbed into the culture in the fifteen-year run of "A Chorus Line." Any fan of song and stage will absolutely love it.

Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. Adam Del Deo - Director / Producer, James D. Stern - Director / Producer, Jane Antonia Cornish - Composer, Marvin Hamlisch - Composer, Brad Fuller - Editor, Fernando Villena.  Produced by Endgame Entertainment.  Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

Principal subjects (as themselves): Bob Avian, Michael Bennett, Charlotte d'Amboise, Ramon Flowers, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Marvin Hamlisch, Megan Larche, and Donna McKechnie.