One (A Chorus Line song)

One (also known as One (Singular Sensation)) is a song from the musical A Chorus Line.

Production

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.

Synopsis

The dancers finally dance the chorus number for an unnamed and unseen star. They are all wearing uniforms so it is impossible to tell them apart. The uniqueness that made them all so interesting throughout the show has now been damaged by the reality of show business.

Analysis

Musicals101 explains:

"One," the finale, is Bennett's masterpiece of style and irony. It begins with an individual bow for each of the nineteen characters, their hodgepodge rehearsal clothes replaced by identical spangled gold costumes. As each dancer joins the group, it is suddenly difficult to distinguish one form the other. Each character who was an individual to the audience is now an anonymous member of an ensemble. The number offers the flashiest choreography of the show. The dancers form a triangular wedge that flies off into a kick circle, celebrating the glitz and excitement of Broadway. But there is an underlying irony that individuals we know to be special had to become parts of a line, anonymously working in synch to back some star. In a final, unforgettable image, the dancers form a kick-line that technically never ends since the lights fade as the cast kicks on.^[2]

Critical reception

CityBeat described it as "the show’s greatest emotional wallop".^[3] The Davis Enterprise dubbed it the show's " signature tune".^[4]

References