42nd Street
Tour - The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
So far this year, I have seen several musicals for the first time. I have realised how important the songs and dances are to capture your attention and draw you in to hopefully an engaging story. The latest musical is a touring production of 42nd Street. This was produced by UK Productions, which have created some impressive productions in the past, so I was expecting a good night out.
In 1930s New York, famed director Julian Marsh (Dave Willetts) holds auditions for his next production, Pretty Lady. Peggy Sawyer (Jessica Punch) arrives as the audition finishes and misses her opportunity to get into the musical, although her dancing talents gets noticed by leading man, Billy Lawlor (James O'Connell). Eventually she is given a part in the musical. Meanwhile, Julian has to put up with ageing Broadway star, Dorothy Brock (Marti Webb), who buys her way into the leading role, despite her lack of dancing skills.
It was enjoyable to watch the production process of the musical-within-a-musical, from the audition to the opening night on Broadway. The chorus girls for one were engaging to watch and performed some striking dance sequences. Do not expect a romance here. The musical does present a hopeful lover in the form of Billy Lawlor, yet the character was not given much stage presence. This was a shame for James O'Connell because he was quite the gallant young man in the lead role. Instead the musical seems to focus on the troubles faced by the director, and the rise of Peggy Sawyer to fame. On paper it is very interesting and the results in this production are generally very good.
Jessica Punch was lovely as Peggy, the naive newcomer to show-business. The choreography however did not seem to make her character's dancing abilities stand out over the other chorus girls. At times, Jessica seemed seem to overdo the amazement and disbelief at the turn of her fortunes. The conflict between Julian Marsh and Dorothy Brock was the most engaging. Dave Willetts stood out the most as the imperious, no-nonsense director, whilst singing with much gusto. Marti Webb was fine as Dorothy Brock and she sang her songs clearly. On the other hand because her ageing character is limited to singing, she stands out less than the others during the musical numbers.
There were a number of striking musical numbers in this musical. At the start, the audience is introduced to a line of legs doing tap dancing before the curtain continues to rise. Other moments include an overhanging mirror to show the dancers from above during Dames, the chorus girls dancing on the coins in We're in the money, some interesting use of shadows during the Shadow Waltz, and the grand staircase scene in 42nd Street. The mirror did jiggle a bit and the stairs could be heard as it was rolled on to the stage, but this did not detract from the audience's enjoyment. Praise too for the sound system for producing the music and songs loud and clear. For someone who is not familiar with the musical, this achieved what I wanted a production like South Pacific to do, which was to enthrall me with the music.
This is a fantastic production of 42nd Street and should be seen. Although the story produced some underwritten characters, the dance sequences were engaging, the production process of Pretty Lady was interesting to follow, and the music was clear enough for newcomers to follow. See it at a low Top Price
There were a number of striking musical numbers in this musical. At the start, the audience is introduced to a line of legs doing tap dancing before the curtain continues to rise. Other moments include an overhanging mirror to show the dancers from above during Dames, the chorus girls dancing on the coins in We're in the money, some interesting use of shadows during the Shadow Waltz, and the grand staircase scene in 42nd Street. The mirror did jiggle a bit and the stairs could be heard as it was rolled on to the stage, but this did not detract from the audience's enjoyment. Praise too for the sound system for producing the music and songs loud and clear. For someone who is not familiar with the musical, this achieved what I wanted a production like South Pacific to do, which was to enthrall me with the music.
This is a fantastic production of 42nd Street and should be seen. Although the story produced some underwritten characters, the dance sequences were engaging, the production process of Pretty Lady was interesting to follow, and the music was clear enough for newcomers to follow. See it at a low Top Price
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