Every Little Step (2009)

It's a bit of a shame that the fantastic documentary EVERY LITTLE STEP will, most likely, not catch the interest of those who aren't invested in its subject matter. That is a shame, because those who give in to watching the film will find that its subject - the birth of one of the most successful Broadway musicals of the past half-century and the casting process of its recent revival - is merely a backdrop to bigger issues about the balance between our belief in ourselves and our need for validation.

I expected to be interested in EVERY LITTLE STEP because I am a huge fan of the Broadway musical. For the sake of disclosure, I have to admit that "A Chorus Line," the focus of this film, is not necessarily one of my favorite shows. It is also not one that I dislike. Rather, it's just one I don't particularly relate to well in the sense that I am not a life-long dancer. What I appreciated about this documentary, then, was the way it reminded me that "A Chorus Line" might be a show about dancers, but is, ultimately, a show about performers. And I can relate to that. I can also relate to the creation process itself, and was pleasantly surprised that half of this documentary's contents focus on the original ideas and creations of Michael Bennett, the choreographer who, we learn, gathered a group of talented dancers together and tape recorded their conversations about life: their passions, their struggles, their talents, their relationships. "There's a show in here somewhere," Bennett prophetically told the gathered performers at the time, "and it will be called 'A Chorus Line'." (I'm paraphrasing his words slightly, but that's the jist of it.)

Those of us who are creative, artistic types are blown-away and inspired by that kind of mad genius, that unwavering belief in one's talent and vision. Bennett's unwavering strength is complimented by the film's "modern" half, which follows his original partner in creating the show, Bob Avian, as he attempts to mount a Broadway revival.

How do you recast roles that were written based specifically on the lives of the original cast members? How do you whittle thousands down to hundreds, down to dozens? And, as a dancer/singer/actor, how do you audition in front of original members of the company, such as Baayork Lee, "A Chorus Line"'s original Connie and now the choreographer of the revival?

EVERY LITTLE STEP vividly and candidly shows us that not even name-recognized Broadway talents like Charlotte D'Amboise are exempt from the emotionally and physically gruelling cattle call process. In fact, the film does little to highlight her as a Broadway celebrity. Her audition process (and subsequent securing of one of the roles) is treated the same as all of the other actors in pursuit of their parts. And she is just as exhausted and happy as they are when she gets the job.

The production values of EVERY LITTLE STEP are solid but basic. Directors Adam Del Dio and James D. Stern are blessed to have the audio and video footage (however scratchy) of the original gestation of "A Chorus Line" to call upon here. For me, its inclusion elevates the film a few significant notches. The subject matter itself is another blessing, as the paring down of 3,000 auditionees to a cast of 19 has a built-in suspense not put to such good use in a documentary since the cut-throat spelling bee whiz kids of "Spellbound."

To a large degree, "A Chorus Line" is a sacred work to the musical theatre performer. EVERY LITTLE STEP understands this visceral passion, this gut-level connection, and translates it to the movie-viewing audience. Indeed, the deeply emotional backstories of some of the auditioning performers accomplishes what "American Idol" attempts to during its audition process shows. But here, there is more time, and we care more. We get the sense that no role is an easy or shallow one. We know that the performers auditioning for the new production are as desperate and in need of a break as the original characters and performers.

I have more documentaries to see this year, but as of now, this is my favorite. I suspect that some of this is based in my bias as a lover of musical theatre. But I think the film is bigger than that. We are all performers in some way or another, all of us auditioning for something. And we all feel like it's us against the world. And we are praying that we won't be rejected.

4.0 out of 4