42nd Street

At Theatre Under the Stars, held over until August 25, 2018
Tickets from $30 at tuts.ca or 604-631-2877

Posted August 1, 2018

“Come on along and listen to” 42^nd Street at Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS). It’s packed with sing-able songs to which, if you’re of a certain vintage, you will know all the words: “Lullaby of Broadway”, “Shuffle Off to Buffalo”, “We’re in the Money”. “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me”, “42^nd Street” and another dozen. Your toes will be tapping along with a full ensemble of more than two dozen tap dancers whose fancy footwork raises a dust on the stage at Malkin Bowl. These warm summer night make TUTS the perfect place to be: kids and grandkids, grannies and grandpas, mom and dads.

And 42^nd Street is a happy story: it’s New York, 1933 and Peggy Sawyer (young and lively Paige Fraser) has just arrived backstage at the 42^nd Street Theatre fresh off the bus from Allentown, Pennsylvania. She’s there to audition for Pretty Lady, a new Broadway musical. But she’s late and producer Julian Marsh (Andrew Cownden) refuses to take a look at her. Eventually, however, dance director Andy Lee (Colin Humphrey) agrees to see her and, after one of the other dancers has to drop out, Peggy is in. Star of the show – a make or break production for Marsh – is famous Miss Dorothy Brock (Janet Gigliotti). While rehearsing one of the numbers Peggy inadvertently bumps Dorothy who suffers a broken ankle. And the rest is history. Peggy moves into the lead mere hours before opening night and nails it. Of course. Adapted from the 1933 film classic by Harry Warrens (music), Al Dubin (lyrics) and Michael Stewart and Michael Bramble (book),it’s a song and dance extravaganza.

Directed by Robert McQueen, 42^nd Street offers a load of young dancers the chance to strut their stuff and they do choreographer Shelley Stewart Hunt proud. The opening number is a WOW with the stage floor clickety-clacking with all those feet going to beat the band (fifteen strong under the musical direction of Christopher King).

With her big, beautiful voice, Gigliotti is a pure joy to watch; she’s tiny but she has a big stage presence. And it’s really sweet that Gigliotti who may have earlier in her career played Peggy Sawyer now gets to see young Fraser so confidently take the lead. And where other musicals show the sometimes-nasty competitiveness between chorus girls, Miss Brock comes around and gives young Peggy the confidence she needs. For a while, it’s been touch and go with Marsh pushing Peggy to the point of exhaustion. She has 36 hours to learn twenty-five pages, six songs and ten dance routines. As Julian says, by opening night he will “either [have] a live leading lady or a dead chorus girl!”

Cownden, an audience favourite, makes Julian a gruff, surprisingly likeable task-master who, for all his brashness, is a real softie, while Fraser brings perkiness and polish to the role of Peggy.

Costumes by Christina Sinosich provide a lot of glitz and glitter; there’s sparkle aplenty. And the fur-trimmed cape that Miss Brock wears is one of those ‘I want one like that’ costumes.

There’s lots of “hip hooray and ballyhoo” to take you out to the parking lot and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be singing “Lullaby of Broadway” or “We’re In the Money” as you make your way through the giant cedars long before “the milkman’s on his way.” (“What,” I hear anyone under seventy saying, “is a milkman?”)

42^nd Street runs in repertory with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, held over until August 24, 2018.