42nd Street

An absolute joy! The Westchester Broadway dinner-theater production of 42nd Street is the best thing they've presented in years. It's booked for a long run—into February (with a time-out around the holidays for a Christmas show). If you're looking for a smartly produced, reasonably priced, big musical comedy that the whole family can enjoy, order tickets now.

Randy Skinner, who directed and choreographed the last major Broadway revival, and assisted director/choreographer Gower Champion on the original Broadway production in 1980, has directed and choreographed this production, and he's captured well the essence of the show. The cast includes many who've done the show before, either on Broadway, on tour, or regionally. And the energy is great. Yes, the big dance numbers are carried off with panache. (I got chills as the opening number built to a crescendo; I don't know of any show that starts with a more potent tap routine.) And Skinner has made interesting choices for key roles.

Dorothy Stanley, playing haughty, aging star Dorothy Brock, certainly understands this show well; she was featured (as "Anytime Annie") in the original Broadway run. She had the right attitude, she's the right age, and when she strides on with her little dog, you believe she's the difficult veteran star she's supposed to be. (And the dog, by the way, is adorable.) Tom Galantich, as hard-driven director Julian Marsh, keeps the pressure up throughout. Ann-Ngaire Martin is a delight in the character role of songwriter Maggie Jones, she brings a most welcome old-time show business flair to "Go Into Your Dance." The other key performers—Derek Roland, Todd Lattimore, Shannon O'Bryan—come through OK.

I've seen this show many times since 1980—this is the third production of it that I've reviewed just for this publication—and did not expect to be hit so hard. But Skinner has assembled a solid cast, and they are well-honed. And even though the ensemble is much smaller than in the Broadway production, this theater is more intimate—everyone in the audience is pretty close to the action—so the big tap numbers still have tremendous impact. The stage musical is based on the famous film musical of the same name choreographed by Busby Berkeley (and the earlier novel by Bradford Ropes), and the choreography repeatedly—and happily—references Berkeley's work on that film and other 1930s Warner Bros. musicals. Skinner, incidentally, has found some chorus girls who happen to very good-looking, not just talented, so that numbers like "Dames" are appealing on all levels. The "dames"—clad in sheer outfits for that number by designer Gail Baldoni—look and sound great. Are there minor flaws here and there? Sure. The piano underscoring was occasionally too loud, making it difficult to hear some bits of dialogue (and that's an easy fix to make). There were times I wanted Galantich to be even more hard-driven, in the style of the original film. Some of the characters are better than others at projecting a thoroughly period feel. And there were also times when I wanted musicians to phrase with more of a period feel. But these are very minor points, in a show that is carried off very well. And the audience, I might add, was as appreciative and audibly enthusiastic as any I've seen at Westchester Broadway in years. This is the 163rd production at our region's oldest dinner theater. Producers Bill Stutler and Bob Funking have got themselves a winner.

(Pictured: Shannon M. O'Bryan and Tom Galantich.;Photo by John Vecchiolla)

Chip Deffaa
Cabaret Scenes
October 1, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org