42nd Street : The Musical (2019)
Tapping my little heart out, it was wonderful to see 42nd Street again — this time on the big screen in a 2019 version, directed by Mark Bramble and Ross MacGibbon. This is a recorded version of Theatre Royal Drury Lane’s London staging — with the largest ever cast (and maybe as many sequins). (Undoubtedly everything goes large here!)
Bonnie Langford is Dorothy Brock, a challenging role for her because she really can sing and dance — but has to go full diva instead, and pretend she can’t. As she twinkles away behind feathers and sequins, it’s hard to see her character’s full nastiness. However, she sings magnificently, delivers great comedy during the ‘Shadows’ number and lots of glamour and secret romance. We did believe her rekindled romance with Pat Denning and her frustration as not being able to track him down.
This more old school version of the musical is all about glamour — we get dancers kicking their legs up in the air forming kaleidoscopic patterns; posing — decorously sprawled down the stage, framing their faces with red manicured nails; gazing enraptured into mirrors during a call and response version of ‘Keep Young and Beautiful’ and in outrageous sequined flouf with more than a hint of wonder bra, dancing for all they’re worth on outsized dimes! Forget more is more, extra is more!
I did love the colour scheme here. In poppy pastels, we have tap shoes in pink, blue and more, which are displayed to full effect as Graeme Henderson’s Andy Lee pushes them through their paces (literally)…The costumes are dazzling wonderful, as Dorothy Brock drips fake fur and jewels; straw boaters are donned for a waltz scene; Clare Halse’s Peggy Swayer has delicate refined lace gloves. Even in the Boulevard dance sequin, the cat burglar has sequined gloves, and the gangsters’ sequined pin stripes. (Which is something). Then there’s the hats! Ella Martine’s Lorraine Flemming wears a delicate beflowered straw number. The men have terrific braces, waistcoats and suits going on. Also love the giant dancing flowers…
A treat for the eye as well as the ear, the dancing is simply top notch, as is the cast. Peggy Sawyer fizzes with energy as she furiously taps away, almost uncontrollable. At other moments, we feel her awkwardness as she’s always in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the way, and comedically still learning. Furthermore, Clare Halse also did a clever turn where we could see Peggy relishing her star-making moment and transforming during her dance from chorus girl to star (and the struggle with having learnt a new role in 36 hours without sleep). Tom Lister is a simply wonderful determined producer Julian Marsh, and here very probably romantic interest of Peggy Sawyer, his star in the making. Less problematic here as rather than Svengali, he can’t help but admire and respect her outlook, and she can’t stop wanting to kiss him! Her other love interest, the bass tenor who gets her dancing in the line, is there (Philip Bertioli as Billy Lawlor) — but quickly sidelined. This production is firmly Team Julian — but it’s done with respect and mutuality, rather than MeToo creepiness. We see him thinking, wondering, rushing after love — but also trying to curb his inclination to love Peggy at points. (After all, she is his star).
However, there is justice for Billy as he gets to tap a wonderful duet with Peggy — where it’s all about the rhythm of their taps, and finding that the nice girls do appreciate a sailor. Bruce Montague’s loaded Abner Dillon is a bit hicksville, but he gets his gal in the end. He is there just to ensure that everyone else is ‘in the money’…Matthew Goodgame sings wonderfully as Pat Denning and his romance with Dorothy Brock convinces. Ella Martine as Lorraine Flemming was charming, shocked at the thought of not getting any lunch and dancing beautifully.
To set the scene, there are huge backdrops and a hint of cinema as Pathé newsreel style footage keeps us updated on the progress of ‘Pretty Lady’ pre-New York launch. The huge stage is utilised to the full as the cast circle and formation across it , even dancing on a bulb lit set of steps. This is especially true at the end, in response to much deserved applause, where the cast just go for it!
Having seen the most recent UK production, it was interesting to reflect on their differences. Julian Marsh may encourage Peggy’s journey into role model and character, but the Sadler’s Wells version was very focused on everyone’s character. In the 2019 version, the sassy banter and cringe snappy remarks stay in — gotta love the song line about beautiful ‘Dames, you don’t recall their names…’ Though song writers and scriptwriters are deemed similarly forgettable. Could have done without one of the character’s talking to Emma Caffrey’s chest at one point — though she doesn’t condone it. Similarly I’m not sure that Jasna Ivir’s Maggie Jones is really allowed to do much more here than be loud! Though she gets a romance by the end and save’s the show’s funding. Overall I found myself missing the diversity of the Sadler’s Wells version, though Julian Marsh’s magnificence stage presence made up for this.
Whilst Sadler’s Wells had a micro-cast, they bumped up the character and in a subtle revision, made Peggy more proactive. They also made Billy Lawlor the love interest for Peggy Sawyer, keeping Julian Marsh firmly in his place as producer. 2019 by comparison oozes luxury and fizzes with dance numbers — but keeps its historic sexism and sass. Contrastingly, in the Sadler’s Wells version, I think the characters were allowed to breathe more, so we had a more fleshed out Abner and Maggie. We also had more of a sense of Depression America — and more struggle to achieve their dreams. When the cast sang about the cancelled show, they really meant it, felt it personally. Here they are charmingly framed in lightbulb lit windows and form a stagey advent calendar. Though I don’t remember a sizzling tango scene in the more recent version as there is here. At the same time though, the whole show is about the fight to put on a show against all the odds, and the quickfire banter, lust and lustre is a part of history, as the characters socially fight against each other to achieve their dreams — and their show. Julian Marsh is not above calling in ‘favours’ from gangsters to keep his show going — need I say more? Basically, everyone’s a bit dodgy, with the whole cast even resorting to pilfering Peggy’s suitcase to stop her leaving during ‘Lullaby of Broadway’.
However, it is a wonderfully lively and vital production, drawing us seamlessly into the songs, playing with the staging (even a live piano on stage at one point!) and just giving everything to put on a show…Such as when Peggy tap dances on a grand piano! and the sweet comic vaudeville turn of ‘Shuffling Off To Buffalo’ ending with the groom unconsciously uncoupled and left running behind!
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