A Class Act

Synopsis

"God, I m a dancer; a dancer dances" sings Cassie in A Chorus Line. Edward Kleban, the man who wrote that lyric was a composer. He was happiest writing theatre music, and produced songs that were gracefully eloquent, intimately expressive, and charmingly attractive. Until his untimely death in 1987 from cancer - the death that robbed him of the chance to keep plugging - Kleban continued to write songs for the stage, but none of his musicals was ever produced. It didn t matter. He was a composer; a composer composes! A moving and emotionally charged tribute to a man who had an enormous impact on musical theatre, the show is effectively a gift to its composer. When A Class Act opened on Broadway, it posthumously satisfied Kleban s dream of becoming a Broadway composer. A simple and artful book tells his life story using the songs he wrote for other projects. The show is structured around the gathering of his friends for a memorial service after his death at the age of 48, late in the run of A Chorus Line, using the ‘flashback device to take us on a whistle-stop tour of the highs and lows of Kleban s somewhat turbulent and neurotic existence. For fans of musical theatre, A Class Act is a delightfully privileged glimpse behind the curtain at how a certain type of musical is created and brought to the stage. The show is, by it s very nature, a love letter to the musical and to theatre magic. It celebrates the musical creation process the way we d like it to be – as the fantastic place where a slightly mentally imbalanced guy can stun theatre professionals into silence with his first song. For anyone who just likes a good song, A Class Act introduces us to 20 of Kleban s songs, many of which have scarcely been performed before: some of them are used in the context of the musicals-in-progress for which they were intended, whilst others are shameless character songs for Kleban himself and the people who shared his life.

Our Review:

26 March 2013

With a new production of A Chorus Line currently wowing the West End, it is deliciously timely that A Class Act, exploring the life of Tony-award-winning lyricist Edward Kleban, should now return to the Landor after a decade.

And what a cracking revival it is. Robert McWhir's production sizzles with energy, emotion and commitment as the show explores Kleban's manic, neurotic, obsessive song-writing career which produced the fabulous lyrics of songs such as "At The Ballet" and "What I Did For Love". Although he composed a trunk-load of other songs both before and after A Chorus Line, he was never again to achieve a similar success.

This wealth of passionate and emotive songs is brought together as Linda Kline and Lonny Price's book neatly frames the action of the play with a memorial service to Kleban. Using his own words, the show tells his story and that of the people who inspired, loved, helped and hindered him. John Barr gives a magnificent ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Angie Lee-Lazone - 4 April 2013:

I knew this would be good, having heard John Barr sing, but was completley knocked out by this wonderful production..the whole cast brilliant and John Barr absolutely phenomenal...such energy..you just had to love him. You NEED to see this before it ends on the 13th April!...

Read more and add your own review

Related Whatsonstage.com Articles

Opening: Dench & Whishaw in Peter & Alice, Court's Low Road & Almeida's Before the Party More»