Broadway Breakdown – "A CHORUS LINE" w/ Robert Peterpaul (March 2, 2023)

Host: Matt Koplik
Guest: Robert ("Robbie") Peterpaul

Episode Overview

This episode of Broadway Breakdown, hosted by the inimitably opinionated Matt Koplik, explores the legacy, creation, and ongoing resonance of the legendary musical A Chorus Line. Joined by fellow Broadway podcaster and self-professed "strong mover, not a dancer," Robert Peterpaul, the duo deeply dissect how this show redefined musical theatre, championed the chorus, and set a gold standard for collaborative theatrical creation. Expect fierce opinions, historical deep dives, and the joyful chaos of true theatre geeks at full volume.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Histories with "A Chorus Line"

• Robert’s personal connection ([03:02]):
  • Saw A Chorus Line as a child with his grandmother: "It was so bare bones until the very end, when they do the big production number. It just stuck in my mind. It was so different." [03:02]
  • His wife is a recurring Val in productions; "At our wedding, we played 'What I Did For Love' on the piano as we were coming out." [04:05]

2. The Show's Revolutionary Structure and Score

• Matt highlights how the show’s parts form a seamless whole: "It’s so hard to pick things apart because it all just kind of comes together as a unit and that's partly because of how it was developed." [06:51]
• The critical response evolved from initial shrugs about the score to later acclaim: "On a second listen and listening to cast recording, I gotta say, this score slaps and it's really complex and story driven." [06:46]
• Robbie: "It's just a musical ride. That's why it's hard to pick out individual songs, even with the montages." [07:14]

3. What Is "A Chorus Line" About?

• Robbie: "It boils down to being about love—a love story to anybody with a dream… But for the uncultured: it's a group of dancers at an open call in New York City vying to book the gig. As the story unfolds, you learn more and more about each person." [08:42]
• Matt adds: "It's more psychotic than that. They are told to reveal themselves. Zach says to them, 'I want to hear more about your life. Tell me about you.'" [09:13]

4. The Michael Bennett Mystique and the Ethics of Genius

• The parallels between Bennett and his alter ego Zach—both brilliant, both manipulative.
• Matt: "To be in the arts, to tell stories of mankind, you do have to be a tiny bit of a sociopath… you are bottling the human experience into a two and a half hour packaged product." [11:19]
• On director types (Bennett/Fosse/Robbins): "They didn't have the vocabulary to get results in a healthy way—they just knew what they wanted, so they'd do these awful, harsh, manipulative power plays." [12:00]
• Notable story: Bennett faked an onstage injury to capture dancers’ authentic responses, later using these reactions for Paul's big moment ([13:47]).

5. Origins & Development—A New Kind of Workshop

• The show’s genesis is murky—Bennett later fabricated a “Watergate” inspiration, but plans existed before: "He was totally full of it." [17:04]
• Michon Peacock and Tony Stevens initiated late-night dancer therapy sessions that birthed the project. "[They] went to a bar…'We gotta take control of our lives.'...reached out to Bennett...He whips out a tape recorder: ‘let’s talk about our lives.’" [21:25]
• Matt: "A lot of the material that's in A Chorus Line came from that recording session…most of the stuff in the show came from the first ones." [23:06]

6. Authorship, Credit, and Compensation

• Nicholas Dante's Paul monologue is almost verbatim from the tapes—it's why he’s still credited as a book writer [25:53].
• The ethics of dancers’ ownership: they initially signed away their stories for $1; years later, a tiered royalty was created but remained extremely meager. Matt: "I think at this point it’s a lost cause, but… the thing you were a part of has continued living on." [28:54]

7. The Choreographic Process: Editing as Art

• Workshops had dancers improvise steps; Bennett curated and shaped these, which Robert notes as "choreography as curation." [35:15]
• Matt: "You're not the one who saw the movements that would work and figured out how to shape it into the story… It took the choreographer’s perspective." [34:02]

8. Impact, Structure, and Character Balance

• Praised for giving each dancer a story, even if some fade into the background. Robbie: “Name another show, movie, or TV show where they balance that many characters and by the end you feel like you really know each one.” [49:15]
• Discussion on the minimal, iconic design; the line and costumes as time-proof. Theonie V. Aldredge gets her due for the costumes, especially Cassie’s red—“She’s the one that’s always popping for [Zach].” [52:28]

9. The Finale and Its Ambiguity

• Bennett saw the ending as a loss of individuality, but Matt argues it's "a paradise where they all got the job…a celebration of their artistry." [65:20]
• Robbie: "I see it that way too; they're getting to do what they love… by the end you're treated to this beautiful, rich finale and it's what you want." [66:15]

10. Legacy, Revival, and Staging

• A Chorus Line redefined Broadway, became the longest-running show until Cats.
• On revivals, Matt: "That original staging is not just iconic, it’s part of the fabric of the show. You can't really untangle that DNA." [112:39]
• There's speculation of a 50th-anniversary return ([111:45]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bennett's genius:
  "Part of your brain kind of has to be broken for that other part to shine so brightly." — Matt [11:12]

• On the development process:
  "Could you imagine—there's wine, it's midnight, you're with these prolific people, and then you're just talking for hours. That in itself is quite a manipulation." — Robert [22:01]

• On credit and legacy:
  "In a weird way, I think that's even better than money…eventually you will die and your bank account won't matter, but the show you were a part of will live on." — Matt [29:08]

• On choreography as curation:
  "You're not choreographing, you're editing…that’s choreography. You are not the one who saw the movements that would work and shaped it into the story." — Matt [34:02]

• On the finale:
  "We’ve just gotten to know these 17 dancers and by the end they’re all just part of a line—and they're all indistinguishable. ...It kind of feels a bit like a fantasy where they all got the job and they all got to do the number together." — Matt [64:34–65:20]

• On legacy vs. reinvention:
  "People just want to make their mark…and I get that. But I think this is one of the few shows where…let the show ride it out, you know?" — Matt [112:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:02] Robbie's early encounters and lifelong connection with the show
• [06:46] The show’s initial critical reception and critical reevaluation
• [11:19] Bennett, Fosse, and Robbins: The cost of genius in theatre
• [21:25] Origins: The tapes—late-night therapy as creation myth
• [25:53] Authorship battles and the significance of the Paul monologue
• [34:02] Choreography as editing—who shapes a number?
• [49:15] Balancing 19 characters: why it’s unique in theater
• [52:28] Theonie V. Aldredge and the costume/line design
• [65:20] The paradoxical joy/eeriness of the finale
• [112:39] Revivals and the question of inventive restaging

Episode Highlights

Favorite Moments

• The iconic “resume/headshot” moment ([71:22]):
  Robbie: "My favorite because I think it’s just become the iconic image...they’re just standing there, literally, 'Am I my resume? Yeah, you are.'"
• Musical build and release ([76:16]):
  Matt points out the orchestral climaxes, “You hear the orchestra getting…It just keeps growing in pitch and you don't realize it…all you just feel is the excitement.”

Fun Facts

• During early previews, Bennett would pick a different set of dancers as final picks each night, driving the wardrobe department mad ([58:06]).
• Neil Simon contributed a handful of lines, including the legendary, “I’m a Leo—that means the other months of the year have to watch out.” ([60:22])
• The original Paul monologue is essentially Nicholas Dante’s real story, preserved almost word for word ([25:53]).

Tone and Language

• True to Broadway Breakdown’s style—irreverent, passionate, conversational, and peppered with affectionate swearing.
• Both hosts balance deep theatre-history nerdery with personal anecdotes and plenty of insider (and outsider) perspective.

Final Thoughts

A Chorus Line emerges here not just as a landmark musical, but as a crucible for every conversation surrounding art—ownership, vulnerability, collaboration, and the relentless hope of the performer. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone who wants to understand what makes this show, and Broadway itself, both brutal and beautiful.

Closing:
The episode wraps with a game of “Six Degrees of...” and a musical Diva-of-the-Week sendoff, today spotlighting Robin Herter from the City Center production.

Listen and subscribe: More Broadway history, hot takes, and karaoke-panel energy at bwaybreakdown.substack.com