Original 2023 Cast of ‘42nd Street’, Photo by Johan Persson
There’s no irony or cynicism creeping about within any of this sequined escapist spectacle. 42nd Street, a West End production presented by Mirvish, is an affectionate throwback to old school musical comedies and it wears its giddy heart proudly on its sleeve.
The year is 1933. Backstage at a Broadway theatre, we open on a bunch of eager auditionees whose next meal ticket is a high profile production of Pretty Lady, a new musical helmed by acclaimed director Julian Marsh (Adam Garcia). The air is charged with anticipation and the slightest hint of tension.
Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble’s book, adapted from Bradford Ropes 1932 novel and the 1933 film, has pointed little nods to the communal desperation, but the reality of the Great Depression feels pretty remote here. This tiptoeing around the grit and gloom serves the frothy narrative well, establishing a glamorous showbiz world where any potential downers are dispelled with talent and gumption!
And those are two qualities that ingénue Peggy Sawyer (Nicole-Lily Baisden) has in spades. Her suitcase and timid energy mark her as a small town fish out of water, but her bright-eyed and bushy-tailed intensity let us know she’s a star just waiting for her chance to shine. It isn’t long before she’s thrust from the chorus to the lead by a fortuitous injury in the company.
Dorothy Brock (Ruthie Henshall) is a prickly Broadway diva who has seen better days. Her dancing ability is an industry joke, but her name still draws a crowd. She’s combative with Julian, but he puts up with her because her rich bumpkin suitor Abner (Anthony Ofoegbu) is financing this ostentatious production. She’s also dismissive of and quite mean to Peggy, though they have a very sweet reconciliation scene just as the young star is about to debut in her place.
You absolutely know where every scene is going right from the top, but that’s part of the show’s charm. The cast sell the airy premise with gusto. Baisden’s Peggy is especially endearing as an unstoppable force of guileless charisma. Henshall maintains wit and poise even when Dorothy is being arrogant or spiteful. The show itself knows that its story is a frivolous frame to connect dazzling, iconic numbers like “We’re in the Money” and “Lullaby of Broadway.” Bill Deamer’s tap choreography for all this is grand and rousing.
Establishing imagery is provided by Jon Driscoll’s classy black and white projections of city scapes and marque lights. These extend and enrich Robert Jones‘ minimal yet grounding set elements. The brick, steel and ropes of the backstage loom in the background as swanky scenic elements fly in and out. Lighting designer Ben Cracknell makes the proscenium itself seem to dance with light. Jones’ costumes are particularly extravagant and the gorgeous Art Deco aesthetic of Pretty Lady (the musical within a musical) had me swooning.
Director Jonathan Church’s staging, drawing heavily from the original 1980s David Merrick/Gower Champion production, makes no attempt to reinvent or subvert the material. This is a fully earnest effort, delivering garish pageantry without revisionism or apology. Rather than feeling stale and hokey, 42nd Street is theatrical champagne—sweet, bubbly, and exalted.