member of an ensemble to have his own integrity and
dreams.”^16 It is true that the musical offers temptations toward
that interpretation, but the achievement that matters in the
show is the achievement of ensemble performances, a point
Rich also recognizes when he notes that the stories of these
two dozen characters are told “simultaneously.” Simultaneity
is the real achievement of the musical. Sheila’s reverie about
childhood ballet lessons may begin as a solo, “At the Ballet,”
but the number draws others into the reverie and it becomes a
trio. “Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love” begins as
Mark’s account of reading up on human anatomy when he was
prepubescent, but simultaneity develops when all the dancers
remember doing this kind of thing. The dancers generate an
ensemble number that lasts for about half an hour, giving way
here and there for more of Mark’s reverie, or for similar indi-
vidual recollections, or for a solo turn (Diana’s “Nothing” is
sung within the limits of “Hello Twelve”). The show pauses
over individual recollections but then turns the number into
ensemble performance, and that is the dynamic that matters.
The temptation to linger over individuals comes to a head in
the Zach-Cassie relationship. Director Zach has had an affair
with auditioner Cassie years ago, and now he tries to dissuade
her from trying out for a chorus line, on grounds that she has
“star” quality (which is a problem in a chorus line). No, Cassie
insists, she wants to be part of the line. She also wants to re-
store her love affair with the director, but the line comes first.
Is it hard to believe that chorus lines matter more than love af-
fairs? At one point Cassie says she can have both, the line and
the director. But we do not see her linking up her romance
with Zach at the end. We see the chorus line dancing, with
Cassie fitting right in. The ensemble dance is the outcome of
the musical, and the drive for simultaneity is perfectly realized.
Fine irony lies in the music they sing and dance, “One,” for
the number is aboutthe individualist, the “one,” the star whom
they are supposed to be backing up—
THE ENSEMBLE EFFECT 99
(^16) Rich, Introduction to Kirkwood et al., A Chorus Line, p. xvii.