"Come and meet those dancing feet!" There simply could not be a truer or more apt line from the show! This musical is a tap dancing extravaganza of a show, and despite it's songs and style harking back to the time of the great Broadway musicals, this, like Sondheim's 'Follies' (1971) and Jerry Herman's 'Mack And Mabel' (1974),, wax written in the much more recent wave of American musical theatre greats. this one was written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren in 1980!
'42nd Street' tells the story of a young would-be showgirl, Peggy Sawyer, who arrives late for her first audition on Broadway, only for her to become the star of the show. It is a real rags-to-riches dream for any thespian, but because she is both extremely talented, honest and likeable, she easily ingratiates herself with everyone, and instead of the show closing, she takes on the almost impossible task of rehearsing the whole show in just a few bars of music, and both show and carers are saved!
This tour, currently at the Grand Theatre in Leeds, is just about as perfect a production as it is possible to get. A truly multi-talented company, whose tap dancing skills are tip top. I was seated in the stalls this evening, close enough to the stage to notice any signs of faltering or fatigue, and this ensemble simply were fantastic. They "went into their dance" time after time, with ever increasingly difficult steps and routines, with hardly a pause long enough in between for them to change costumes, and yet each step was flawless, each arm movement precise, and every one of them in time every time, whilst singing and acting too. not a single noticeable bead of sweat in sight, and no-one even slightly out of breath. The talent, and physical fitness of these performers was amazing. "I was sitting in the audience trying to hate them.... but I couldn't".
'42nd Street' tells the story of a young would-be showgirl, Peggy Sawyer, who arrives late for her first audition on Broadway, only for her to become the star of the show. It is a real rags-to-riches dream for any thespian, but because she is both extremely talented, honest and likeable, she easily ingratiates herself with everyone, and instead of the show closing, she takes on the almost impossible task of rehearsing the whole show in just a few bars of music, and both show and carers are saved!
This tour, currently at the Grand Theatre in Leeds, is just about as perfect a production as it is possible to get. A truly multi-talented company, whose tap dancing skills are tip top. I was seated in the stalls this evening, close enough to the stage to notice any signs of faltering or fatigue, and this ensemble simply were fantastic. They "went into their dance" time after time, with ever increasingly difficult steps and routines, with hardly a pause long enough in between for them to change costumes, and yet each step was flawless, each arm movement precise, and every one of them in time every time, whilst singing and acting too. not a single noticeable bead of sweat in sight, and no-one even slightly out of breath. The talent, and physical fitness of these performers was amazing. "I was sitting in the audience trying to hate them.... but I couldn't".
A large cast fill the stage, and I truly should credit all, but that would take forever; but stand-out performances came from Michael Praed as the hard-nosed director, Julian Marsh, Samantha Womack as the star who has to give way to new blood, Dorothy Brock, and Sam Lips as the leading tenor, Billy Lawlor. All three were able to bring a range of emotions into their respective roles with such ease, giving totally believable and sympathetic characterisations. But of course, the show quite rightly belongs to Peggy "Allentown" Sawyer, performed with genuine zest and indefatigable natural ability by Nicole-Lily Baisden.
Set design, lighting, sound, music etc, were all perfect, slick, and creative, and all helped to keep the show running smoothly and effectively. Costuming, and changes were clever and well managed. In fact, there is only one very slight point which I can flag here. A couple of times this evening, the spot operators were not following the principals accurately and they had shadows on their faces. However, when everything else in this show was absolutely tip top, polished, and had that wow factor from start to finish, that really was a very minor point.
"Come on along, and listen to, the lullaby of Broadway", before it is too late!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 25.7.23
on - 25.7.23
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