One (A Chorus Line song)
One is a song from the musical A Chorus Line.
Production
[edit]Director Michael Bennett explained his view regarding the song's inception and placement within the show:[1]
I want the audience to walk out of the theatre saying, 'Those kids shouldn't be in a chorus!' And I want people in the audience to go to other shows and think about what's really gone into making that chorus . . . It fades with them kicking. That's it. That's the end of the show. There are no bows. I don't believe in bows, just the fade out. That's what a dancer's life is.
Critical reception
[edit]CityBeat described the song as "the show’s greatest emotional wallop".[2] The Davis Enterprise dubbed it the show's "signature tune".[3]
Other media
[edit]In 1976, the Brady family performed the song in the pilot episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
On Sesame Street, it was covered by 10 Muppet numbers in a chorus line.
The Simpsons parodied the song in the episode "Treehouse of Horror V".
Catherine Zeta-Jones performed the song, with modified lyrics, in dedication to her husband Michael Douglas during the 2009 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony.
References
[edit]- ^ McKay, William J. (1998). "Michael Bennett's "A Chorus Line" – Part II: The Story & Songs". Musicals101.com.
- ^ Pender, Rick (November 12, 2013). "A Chorus Line (Review): Sweetness and sorrow". CityBeat.
- ^ "'One' singular sensation to open at DMTC". Davis Enterprise. Davis, California. April 17, 2014. p. A7.