By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Adam Del Deo | James D. Stern
Country: united_states
Year: 2009
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977648/
Bruce says: “Anyone who loves the theatre will probably like this enjoyable, yet not altogether satisfactory, film. EVERY LITTLE STEP follows the audition and casting process for a 2006 Broadway revival of ‘A Chorus Line.’ When the producers decided to hold an open call, over three thousand actors showed up for the audition. In an unprecedented move, Actor’s Equity approved the taping of these auditions. The selling point was that the filming of EVERY LITTLE STEP is a celebration, not a humiliation. And for the most part, the producers stuck to their word. 99% of the actors signed the releases for the filmmakers to record their auditions.
“The filmmakers backtrack to 1974 when Michael Bennett first gathered a group of 22 actors and brainstormed with them about their experiences in the theatre. We hear Bennett’s voice and see some of the original cast at various points in the original development process. These early Bennett sessions set the tone for the film. The producers are very up front about finding the right people while trying not to duplicate the original cast. Seven cameras were used to ensure that the magic of each audition was properly captured. Early on the filmmakers decided to follow several actors through the audition process. They got lucky and three of their picks made the final cut. Four months later call backs begin and another four months later the producers schedule the final calls. When a producer says to one of the actors, ‘I want you to do what you did last summer,’ she looks lost and replies ‘I don’t know what I did last summer.’ To think such a moment can make or break a career!
“EVERY LITTLE STEP’s biggest problem is the sex bias; all of the stories are predominantly about the women. Only two men in the cast are featured. One of them provides one of the most compelling stories. When Jason Tam auditions for the role of Paul, he has the whole room in tears. Two close friends end up as the finalists for one of the roles. We know she isn’t quite truthful when one of the girls says, no matter what the outcome, ‘I’ll be happy either way.’ Other competitions aren’t so dramatic. It is rather obvious from the beginning that Charlotte d’Amboise has been hand-picked for the role of Cassie.
“What comes through loud and clear is that putting together a show is no small task. The archival material and interviews are testimony to the thousands of hours of effort put into the show before the first curtain went up. One wonderful anecdote involves Marsha Mason who went up to Michael Bennett and told him that Cassie cannot be cut at the end. Up to that point the show had been tepidly received in previews. Once Cassie made the cut, every performance got a standing ovation. As for the revival, the message is clear: the casting must be perfect. 3.5 cats
“(EVERY LITTLE STEP was screened as part of the New Directors/New Films festival sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA.)”
Diane says: “Faced with a decision at the Kendall late last night: the reputedly lethargic LIMITS OF CONTROL clocking in at 2:15? or the upbeat–and 1:35!–EVERY LITTLE STEP? I chose the lively doc. Never saw A CHORUS LINE in any form, so through this film I got my first exposure to it, mostly at a second- or third-hand remove. EVERY LITTLE STEP is about dancers auditioning to be dancers auditioning–and the roles come from the real lives of the casting directors. Do I have that right?
“Pretty standard and steady for a doc: following several dancers through the process, the ups and downs. The directors do a nice job with the mirrored, bracketed, back-and-forth from the 1975 original to the 2006 revival. I am so impressed with the extraordinary people who consider themselves ‘dancers,’ and just happen to sing and act, too. A good companion to this would be one of my faves of a few years ago, CASTING ABOUT. 4 cats”
Michael says: “I am a fan of musicals… however I’m not much of a fan of the movie version of A CHORUS LINE, my only experience thus far with the show. Fortunately EVERY LITTLE STEP is a documentary about the creation of the Broadway show, and its revivial, and leaves the film version behind. What is most fascinating and successful about EVERY LITTLE STEP is the way it mimics the original story of A CHORUS LINE. Based on taped interviews between the show’s eventual director Michael Bennett and a room full of dancers, A CHORUS LINE is the story of those dancers and the life they live auditioning for shows. EVERY LITTLE STEP follows the audition process for the recent revival. The filmmakers were granted pretty amazing access to the auditions and beyond and truly, as a non-actor, I got a picture of what it’s like on both sides of the audition process. Even more successfully on a personal level, EVERY LITTLE STEP showed me that I would, in fact, probably enjoy the show A CHORUS LINE even though I didn’t enjoy the movie. (Okay, we can probably thank Michael Douglas for that in part).
“I’m not sure how EVERY LITTLE STEP would play for someone who disliked musicals (Ellen?) but it’s well constructed, with a strong sense of pacing, a real love of its subject, strong writing and some clever editing. There’s a nice mix of unknowns and a better known Broadway actress who auditioned for one of the “lead” roles. Those also some nice archival footage of the original show, and the tapes Bennett recorded that spawned it. 4 ½ cats”