Five years ago, the glitzy production of 42nd Street at Theatre Royal Drury Lane made me fall back in love with musical theatre. Its old-school glamour and dazzling dance routines absolutely blew me away, so these fond memories were more than enough to be excited about a new production of the classic musical, currently touring across the UK.
After premiering at Leicester’s Curve, the tour is spending the month of June at London’s Sadler’s Wells. Typically a dance venue, it’s unusual to see such a grand musical there, but as it’s a dance-heavy musical it’s understandable why the exception was made.
42nd Street is set in New York during the years of the Great Depression, as prolific director Julian Marsh (played by Adam Garcia) creates a new show that out-of-work actors dream of starring in. Beginning with auditions and taking the audience through out-of-town try-outs to opening night, the story is immersed in theatre from start to finish, making it a musical lover’s dream to watch. Basically, it’s meta long before meta became a thing, and wittily plays on that to the delight of the audience.
The cast includes musical theatre veterans Ruthie Henshall and Josefina Gabrielle as Dorothy Brock and Maggie Jones respectively, as well as Les Dennis as Bert Barry, the fictional show’s producer who provides effortless comic relief especially in ‘Shuffle Off To Buffalo’ towards the end of the second act. However, it is Nicole-Lily Baisden as Peggy Sawyer, a rookie actress turned performing extraordinaire and the musical’s protagonist, who shone the brightest. Last year, her performance in Anything Goes as the slightly bland role of Hope Harcourt clearly did not showcase her talent to its full potential. Here, she brought an impeccable combination of innocence and charm to 42nd Street’s Peggy Sawyer, breathing life into the show’s star. Her dance skills were highly impressive, but you can say the same of the whole ensemble cast whose tap timing was mesmerising in the big dance numbers; ‘We’re In The Money’ and the eponymous ’42nd Street’.
A musical made in 1980 based on a 1933 Hollywood film, it may be challenging to make 42nd Street feel relevant and modern, but the set and costume decisions proved this was no effort. The outfits worn by female ensemble members during rehearsal scenes consisted of cute short-sleeved shirts and shorts that made 1930s style chic instead of dowdy. As a touring production, the set relied more on projection and lighting more than props, but didn’t look cheap and the large stage never felt empty. There was also far less emphasis on Julian Marsh’s inappropriate attempts towards his young star Peggy than in previous productions, which felt like a good call.
I couldn’t help but compare it to the 42nd Street I saw at Drury Lane at times, but it never lacked compared to the first time I saw it – the iconic golden staircase still appeared for the finale in all its dazzling glory. 42nd Street is simply a classic wherever it is performed, so I have no doubt that I, along with theatregoers in their droves, will see it again and again.
42nd Street is currently on tour and after its run in June at Sadler’s Wells, it will visit cities including Leeds, Cardiff and Liverpool with Samantha Womack taking over as Dorothy Brock, Michael Praed as Julian Marsh and Faye Tozer as Maggie Jones. The London cast will also be making an appearance at West End LIVE in Trafalgar Square this Sunday!
