TxMike I watched this on DVD last night and it brought tears to my eyes, several times. This is the best film I have seen all year."A Chorus Line" and I became acquainted in the winter of 1980, on Broadway, during my first trip to Manhattan, a business trip. A bunch of us would get half-price tickets at the TKTS booth in Times Square. Being a country boy from the Cajun country of Louisiana I didn't quite know what to make of the show, especially when the "Dance 10, Looks 3", often called the "T&A" song, was performed. But the show stuck with me. I can't tell you how many times I have listened to the cast soundtrack on CD. "At the Ballet" is my favorite song of all time, I still can't listen to it without getting goosebumps.So in 2005, 30 years after it opened its historic run, a brand new revival of "A Chorus Line" was planned, and this film, "Every Little Step", is about that revival.It is a gripping, mostly documentary film. It mixes in ample clips of the original show. Over 3000 dancers began the audition process. Several members of the original production are featured. One young man's acting was so good during his audition that the show's director was in tears at the end of this performance, as was I. It is the ultimate "reality show." In the end a Broadway production like "A Chorus Line" is just a show. It is just entertainment. But to those individuals who make up the cast, it is their lives. This film lets us see closely into a part of their lives and it is fascinating.Now, I need to buy my own copy of the DVD.

gregking4 In 1974 Broadway director and choreographer Michael Bennett sat down with a group of dancers and interviewed them in intimate detail about their lives, careers and aspirations. The transcripts of that 12-hour session became the basis for Bennett's extravagant new musical A Chorus Line which explored the passions, dedication, determination and personal stories of dancers keen to tread the boards on Broadway. The show scooped the pool at the 1976 Tony Awards, winning nine Tonys, went on to become a Broadway phenomenon and the longest running American musical in history. In 2006 Bennett's assistant director Bob Avian staged a revival. This superb fly on the wall documentary follows the gruelling casting process from the original call-out, through to the final selection. There are 17 roles to cast, and the producers are locked in to very specific casting choices because of the nature of the show and the characters. Ironically, art imitates life here as this documentary is about a group of dancers auditioning for a show about a group of actors auditioning for a role in a musical. Many do not make the cut, and those who are called back for further auditions are not guaranteed success. In an era when vapid reality TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Australian Idol, and their ilk, have made the auditioning process a forum for cruel put downs and the sarcastic wit of a panel of judges, Every Little Step is refreshingly upbeat, honest and positive. While we experience the elation of those dancers who are successful, we thankfully do not dwell too long on the tears and disappointments of those hopeful stars who, for one reason or another, are unsuccessful. In one extraordinary scene, Jason Tan's heart wrenching monologue for the key role of Paul, the drag queen, reduces theatre veteran Avian to tears. Co-directors James D Stern and Adam Del Deo have been granted unprecedented access to Bennett's original tape recordings, and this gives a deeper understanding about the show's genesis and what it is trying to do. The filmmakers, who have extensive experience in the theatre world themselves, juxtapose archival footage taken during the auditions for the original production with many of the hopefuls auditioning for this revival. There are fascinating and insightful interviews with Avian, as well as stars of the original production in Tony award winner Donna McKechnie, and the very demanding Baayork Lee, who played Connie and who is now choreographing the revival. An exhilarating insight into the world of musical theatre, Every Little Step is almost mandatory viewing for anyone with aspirations for pursuing a career on stage.

callapj I share lor_'s dismay at the distortions and omissions in "Every Little Step". To ignore the contributions of James Kirkwood, Ed Kleban and all the actors in the original cast is appalling. McKechnie and Lee, the only two original cast members, have managed to turn "A Chorus Line" into a positive, but it took the other cast members years of negotiation and the threat of litigation to receive more than the pittance they received from their stories. As an aside, is any movie viewer so naive as to believe that Charlotte D'Amboise just happened to have the camera film her actual casting moment? We ain't that dumb. Disappointing on so many levels.

jmbellin I think this was a brilliantly done film. It may have its flaws (Not necessarily crediting everyone properly where credit is due), but that aside, it's a beautiful look in the auditioning process from both the actors' and producers' sides, using a the audition process for the revival of the groundbreaking musical about the auditioning process.The structure of the film is wonderful. This is a documentary that works well, not just as a documentary, but as a film. I suppose that we may be a bit jaded by watching "American Idol" and similar shows which expose some of the auditioning process, this goes a bit deeper, looking at performers who operate at the highest level of work. Some of the audition clips show performances that are astonishing and thrilling. That American Equity Association, the union for Broadway actors, allowed the filmmakers to film the actor/dancer/singers to be filmed, it allowed us to see the audition process for performers such as Charlotte D'Amboise, already a star for her performance in Chicago.That this film goes back to original interviews with Michael Bennett and some of the taping of dancers and actors who spend most of their time on the audition line and expose their inner selves when then perform, it helps us empathize with these performers who aspire to be part of one of the great acting pieces for musical theater performers.The film never sinks to maudlin profiles of the performers, unlike American Idol and the like. That the filmmaker doesn't do this allows us to come to the film. Never did I feel that I was being hit over the head or were the emotions generated undeserved.In addition to the clever device of the watching the audition process for a musical about the audition process, the film really gives you a sense that it's a challenging, grueling process for both sides. And it's incredible thinking about this "interview" process only results in a contract for 6 or 7 months. How would you like to spend 8 months preparing to interview for a job that only may give you 6 months of employment? Finally, the film keeps us in suspense, much the way watching an American Idol episode, so the film works on many, many levels. I'm glad that the producers are correcting some of the credits for the DVD release. Those omissions didn't keep me from being enthralled with this documentary. Anyone remotely interested in theater or musical theater ought to see this film.