42nd Street (Curve Theatre, Leicester, Personal)
🌟 42nd Street 🌟
03 June 2023 at 2:15pm at Leicester Curve
★★★★★
42nd Street is an absolutely monumental show, one which from the get go, I had very high expectations for. With the stage show originating in 1980, this Curve adaptation felt so fresh and modernized. It wants you to believe it is the most expensive show you will ever see, and it executes this brilliantly without overdoing the grandeur. With unbeatable set design (Robert Jones), transitions were glorious to render some phenomenal show-stoppers, but also finding the perfect balance of light/shade with quieter, more sombre moments, the script structured beautifully. Story arcs were very pleasing in the sense characters were well balanced, and generally remained with a positive outlook. The atmosphere in the audience, across the whole show, is one of the best I've seen in a long time, such warmth and joy shared between all ages, all types of people, proving to be a musical for everyone. Featuring hit songs such as "Getting Out Of Town" and "Lullaby Of Broadway", this standout show makes me feel I have seen a production that will go down in history.
With a setting during America's Great Depression of the early 20th century, I adore this era of music and performance, so the orchestrations were a delight for me, led by the wonderful Jennifer Whyte as composer. With a spotlight for the orchestra pit during the Overture and Entr'acte, I thought the attention towards the live band was a really important touch to appreciate their work, and being on the front row of the stalls, it was a joy to see it all in the works. Having the orchestra pit open also complimented the style of a backstage show, with the actors also acknowledging them (and recognising the audience) as a reminder we are spectators of performance. Particularly for big fans of theatre, the combinations of big hits and insight into rehearsal is so fascinating as Pretty Lady is created before your eyes.
With the 1930s glamour, there is a strong celebration between male and female dancers, where dance styles and choreography adapted to the style of song to create endlessly interesting scenes. With focus on the male cast, Adam Garcia's lead over Pretty Lady begun as not a hugely likeable character, though his sincerity and humanity shone through Act 2, as Julien is presented as more vulnerable to the stress of Broadway production. After seeing Garcia's tap dancing on The Masked Dancer, it was such a pleasure to see live, though Julien's character doesn't have as much choreo. The male ensemble were stunning in showcasing a refined gentleman's ease to the dancing, despite the very high energy, it never dropped. Sam Lips as Billy Lawler deserves to be heavily commended through his role, often leading the men's chorus with confidence and charm, immediately from his first appearance. Whilst his dancing was very suave and elegant, as a gentleman he would support Peggy and Dorothy to allow the ladies a spotlight to shine.
Moving onto the women of the show, for anyone who has seen this production, it is needless to say that Nicole-Lily Baisden was born to be on stage, as if the role of Peggy Sawyer was made for her. She is just the consummate musical actress, whereby you can't help but wonder if there's anything she can't do! As the characters fall in love with Peggy's talent, equally we do with Baisden. I hope to see her in many more shows to come, her dancing is unbelievably refined, and she played into Peggy's comedic naivety so well. I am so so grateful to have seen musical theatre legend Ruthie Henshall, who really proved her acclaimed talents. Henshall is so captivating as Dorothy, whichever scene she's in, she will absolutely be the star! Her facial expression is absolutely glorious, and as a fading star, she defined Dorothy's overconfidence yet sensitivity with such grace. Peggy and Dorothy's duet "About A Quarter To Nine" really solidified both actresses as really memorable performers, and finding the beauty in the quieter moments. And Josefina Gabrielle's role of Maggie Jones was portrayed so wonderfully comedic, a great break away from tenser scenes. Echoing my comments about the men's ensemble, equally the women's was presented with such finesse and really highlighted the allure of Broadway.
42nd Street is the first show I've seen heavily oriented around dance, and it was an absolute treat! I really enjoy tap dance, and Bill Deamer's choreography for these sequences would give me goosebumps every time, to be done so beautifully with such a large ensemble and challenging routines, it is honestly one of the most impressive things I have seen on a stage, out of this world! And I couldn't go without mentioning Robert Jones' exquisite costume design. I could talk about the costume in this show for hours! So many stunningly beautiful outfits that never disappoint, and they lend themselves so well to make the perfect atmosphere and gorgeous show. Even subtleties like gradients of colour in "Getting Out Of Town", so many tiny details are so thought through which makes all the difference.
What I adore about this show, it that although the cast is an impressive number of actors, it felt not one person was ever overlooked and everyone had a moment to shine. There are way too many things I could praise about Jonathan Church's production of 42nd Street, many things I've yet to mention, but to summarise it: the show consistently looks and sounds magical in every way, every single second of the show had a visual image to remember, you could take a picture anytime and it would look flawless, unbeatable energy. Garcia gave a lovely nod to the Curve's influence in creating the show, which is so brilliant they have helped to produce this dream of a show! The rest of the UK better brace themselves, and get tickets booked for the tour!!
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