Marc Robin must somehow be related to Croesus, because whatever production he touches (whether to direct, choreograph or both) turns to gold. He makes what could be a dated production of A Chorus Lineshine like new, its now-tarnished plot a freshly polished, and very moving, jewel. He's assembled a talented cast that make the premise -- each individual Broadway gypsy is singular with a telling life story -- believable.
The energized Scott Alan Jones gives a particularly charged performance, especially when he breaks out into a series of back flips. Ariane Dolan is memorable in the role of the world-weary, brazen Sheila. But what really holds the production together with a superb superglue (apart from that darned-good dancing from all the cast members) is the believable, touching performance of Rudy Hogenmiller as Zach, who casts the show and asks all the dancers for their stories in order to narrow down the selection process. Hogenmiller also did the choreography for this production, which -- no surprise -- is one of the highlights. And the grand finale we get really lives up to its name, with a lightning-quick costume change.
