The unique thing about "A Chorus Line" is that no one is really the star of the show-at least not in the script. The musical follows the nail-biting audition process for a chorus line and throws in an unconventional director who probes into the dancers' personal lives. For most of the time, the dancers remain lined up across the stage while the disembodied voice of the director questions from somewhere in the audience.

In this production of "A Chorus Line," the energetic cast brings the 1976 Tony Award-winning musical back to life. Even without an intermission, the show is gripping as the focus shifts from one performer to the next. The dancers share their personal backgrounds, and as they introduce themselves to the audience, a few stand out above the rest.

Sheila (Emily Fletcher) is already a strong character: an older, sassy, Valium-carrying, cigarette-smoking beauty. Though her singing leaves something to be desired, Fletcher takes to her character like second nature. She never fails to deliver her one-liners, mixed with sarcasm and a hint of seriousness at the same time. Even before she leaves the stage for the final number, she lingers, as if pulling on heartstrings, soaking up the very last drop of limelight.

Val (Natalie Elise Hall) may be one-note through much of the performance, repeating "tits" over and over, but Hall proves to be a true comedienne when given the chance to shine. In her number "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three," Hall pairs her cutesy voice with her intense desire to doctor up her T&A. Arching her back, sticking out her tush, chirping and belching out the words, Hall has the whole house watching her - and not just for the obvious reasons. The audience watches with bated breath to see how she'll manipulate the next part of the number, what she'll do different from any version they've seen before.

Most of the cast are triple threats, though it's dance where they best shine. Richie (Anthony Wayne) stands out with his powerful long legs and the fluidity of his movements, like one long sinew of a funky beat. The director, Zach (Michael Gruber), presents a tighter package the few moments he is onstage. His leaps look effortless, his steps composed, as he shows the other performers onstage the choreography to follow. Of course he has to look good-he's the director in the piece, after all. But Gruber looks good at looking good, and what's more, he makes it look easy.

This version of "A Chorus Line" doesn't do anything different from the original. The musical isn't updated to 2008, and the '70s pop references will fly past a typical Cal student's head. That doesn't matter. The production is timeless, and without a set or flashy special effects, it's all character, entirely relatable. There may be some sound problems here and there, but the raw human talent is already there.

More than 30 years after its first opening night, "A Chorus Line" is still fresh and entertaining to even a second-timer (or twenty-second-timer). The magic of the musical is the lengths it takes to delve into each character who makes the first cut. Everyone gets to tell their story in the midst of singing and dancing. At some point, everything is stripped away, down to a sweat-soaked leotard and a plain black stage. The audience has a glimpse at passion, at something raw inside the person onstage and behind any makeup. Sometimes haunting and sometimes scintillating, the experience will stay with the theatergoers until all the faces they've met suddenly become lost in the sparkly crowd of the grand finale.