When even Barbara Walters writes of her life as an "audition," it should come as no surprise that "A Chorus Line," the quintessential Broadway tryout musical, keeps coming back with its leaps and high kicks, sorrows and successes underscoring the emotional wallop of rejection and the joy of acceptance.

The revival, now on its national tour and currently at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, appears nearly four decades after Michael Bennett first conceived the idea of an entire musical based on the physical and psychological roller coaster of the audition process. In 1975, Bennett directed and choreographed the show, whose team expanded to include co-choreographer Bob Avian, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, all based on the raw experience of actual dance tryouts.

The touring production is nourished by a strong technical team, including original costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge and scenic designer Robin Wagner, lighting designer Tharon Musser, and Avian as director. Choreography has been restaged by Baayork Lee, who played the role of Connie in Bennett's original.

The dance routines, if anything, are even more spectacular than the original, given the strength, energy and endurance of the latest crew. Leaps are breathtaking, moves take edgy to a new level, as the dancers "learn" the choreography presented to them when they rehearse before the eagle eye of the casting director. Michael Gruber's Zach, the merciless perfectionist who will decide their fates, is a relentless taskmaster with a well-disguised touch of empathy for the individual dancers. By making them talk about their lives, revealing secrets they had buried beneath their resilient, if fragile, facades, he shapes a group that can and will do just about anything he asks. And it ensures that there's plenty of real-life drama to lure audiences and flesh out the dance moves. The fact that Cassie, one of his former dancers and loves, is auditioning for the chorus in an attempt to re-establish her career causes him to react with bristling put-downs. He is convinced that she's been too much of a star to submit to the required unison.

The best moments when they're not dancing are the psychologically wrenching ones. Paul (Kevin Santos) reveals that despite his youthful leaning toward dance, his "Cyd Charisse" style has led to work in a drag chorus, which he tried and failed to keep from his traditional parents. Diana (Gabrielle Ruiz) movingly pours her heart out in the showstopper "What I Did for Love," one of the musical's most effective moments. Many of the "Chorus Line" job seekers reveal abusive or unstable families that have left them on their own to pursue their goals. A few have thrived in the embrace of picture-perfect families.

There are lighter, funnier moments, too, but even they have an undertow of sacrifices made to follow dreams. Natalie Hall as Val gets a little more juice and laughs than usual out of "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three," the plaint about dull looks and a slight body holding her back until she has them both perfected and starts winning roles. Emily Fletcher makes the most of the nonconformist Sheila who's seen it all and feels that she's got the goods.

Nikki Snelson, as the retread Cassie, demonstrates her style and finesse in the showpiece "The Music and the Mirror," in which the revolving background mirrors reflect and shine in their own smooth moves. Somehow, though, her featured dance seems longer now, and not as special as the buildup suggests.

But in a show in which even the initial appearances of the chorus evoke rousing applause from the audience, there are obviously plenty of fans ready and eager to be thrilled all over again, and again.