42nd Street
Milton Keynes Theatre
28th August 2023
From its opening overture to its infectious toe-tapping finale, 42nd Street is pure theatre, and a real love letter to classic Broadway. Chorus guys and gals tap-dance their way through a story about the production of a new musical hit, set in the heart of New York’s legendary theatre district, with one delightfully hummable song after another. Based on the 1933 film (and Bradford Ropes’ original novel), the show was last seen in the West End at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane where it played to great acclaim, andnow you can “come and meet those dancing feet” once again as a new production by Leicester’s Curve hits the road, playing this week at Milton Keynes.
Producer Julian Marsh (Michael Praed) is busy working on his new show ‘Pretty Lady’, and he really needs a hit. To help secure this, he casts leading lady Dorothy Brock (Samantha Womack) because of the financial injection she can bring with her, despite her best years and performances being behind her. As auditions for the chorus are held, young hopeful Peggy Sawyer (Nicole-Lily Baisden) stands out from the crowd, impressing Julian with her voice and fancy footwork. Opening night approaches, but two days before the first curtain, an accident takes Dorothy out of the running and pushes Peggy into the spotlight, to “go out there a nobody, and come back a star!”.
Anyone who saw the Drury Lane production will know what a juggernaut of spectacle that was, and this new touring production was never going to be able to match it in terms of scale, but it certainly equals its heart and entertainment value. There is something charmingly timeless about ‘42nd Street’, a show for those who love the world of the theatre and the magic it can create. Set in an almost forgotten era unhampered by social media, technology or reality TV “personalities”, it represents a time when talent meant everything and a great song and dance number was enough to make an audience forget about their troubles and get swept away in the glamour. It’s a piece that would never be written today, and therefore all the more magical because of it. The score (Harry Warren and Al Dubin) may be a bit of a “patchwork” of random songs from various films of the time (and of course the handful of songs from the original ‘42nd Street’ film), but it’s woven so wonderfully into the story that it just works. The book and plot (Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble) may be a little on the slight side, but it contains plenty of humour reminiscent of those 1940s screwball romantic comedies).
Director Jonathan Church clearly has a love for this time period, and it comes across in every scene, keeping the show faithful to the style and sensibilities of the period and filling it with “classic Broadway” charm (particularly Robert Jones’ costume design and impressive sets, along with Ben Cracknell’s trademark lighting design which always looks spot-on). Church keeps the balance between character development and dancing set-pieces just right, so that we feel the talent in the footsteps, the thirst of these dancers, and the pressure of the opening night, as well as being entertained by some breathtaking routines. BilL Deamer’s choreography is stunning, beautifully precise and intricate, and performed to perfection by an incredibly talented cast.
The touring cast sees a few changes from the original Leicester/London cash, with Samantha Womack taking over from Ruthie Henshal as Dorothy, Faye Tozer replacing Josefina Gabrielle as Maggie, and Michael Praed now playing Julian Marsh in place of Adam Garcia. In light of her recent health troubles, it’s wonderful that Womack is feeling able to take to the stage again, and while it’s a relatively minor role for a leading actress (the character does get sidelined for most of the second act), she still has that captivating stage presence and acerbic delivery and makes for a great Dorothy Tozer will surprise a lot of people and proves herself to be a strong character actress as well as a singer, and it’s interesting to imagine the stage career she might’ve had if Steps hadn’t happened. Nicole-Lily Baisden gives a fantastic leading turn as Peggy, endlessly likeable while sounding great and dancing brilliantly, and she more than makes up for her somewhat lifeless turn in the Barbican’s ‘Anything Goes’ last year. Sam Lips is also a real standout as Billy Lawlor, effortlessly suave as Peggy’s love interest and excelling in every aspect of his performance. If there’s ever a bio-musical of Gene Kelly, cast this man immediately. Less successful is Michael Praed, far less assured as Julian Marsh than Adam Garcia and feeling somewhat uncertain in the role. Praed played Pat Denning at the start of the tour so perhaps just needs longer in the role to properly bed in.
90 years young and still showing the youngsters how it’s done, ‘42nd Street’ is a must-see for lovers of Broadway, tap-dancing, infectious songs and escaping back to a simpler time. It may not run particularly deep, but it dances up a storm, delivering some of the finest footwork you’ll see this year, and celebrates the timelessness of the heart of New York theatre.
‘42nd Street’ runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 2nd September 2023 before continuing on its UK tour.
Performance runtime 2 hours 35 minutes including interval.
