42nd Street

This iconic musical opened with a fabulous overture setting the pace from the first few bars under Mr Pomeroy’s trusty baton, and as it should after the initial ‘setting of the scene’ we were transported to the rehearsal and the rising of the curtain on those dancing feet. This is a tap dancing musical, the company must be prepared to tap long and hard and Bridgwater are extremely lucky to have a fantastic bunch of ‘hoofers’, and even those new to the ‘Shuffle Ball Change’ and ‘Shirley Temple’ showed poise and composure and tapped away with smiles on their faces that could light up Broadway. All were vocally strong and characterisation was evident from all on stage, each person had a role to play and a little story to tell.
Principal casting was strong and all gave 100%, Maggie was a total treasure, she nurtured the girls, danced and sang her heart out and worked so well with her side kick Bert, they brought great humour to the stage. Not to be out done Annie also worked her socks off with her friends and took sweet Peggy under her wing. A highlight was the four ladies ‘Go Into Your dance’, plus the transition dance performed with Peggy, this was just perfect and a round of applause to Shelley and Brian for the innovative addition to using the transition music and choreography combined to get to the café.
Peggy was  beautifully drawn, her naivety shone through and we visibly saw her confidence grow under the tutorage of her peers and Maggie, this was the first leading role for this lady but I doubt it will be her last.
Julian Marsh was certainly portrayed as the spin doctor guru, singing and moving with assurance, past experiences have seen him rather smitten with the darling Peggy but in this case he was admiring of her guts and talent, it worked.
Billy was a sweetie and as a new ‘hoofer’ he took the tap dancing in his stride and partnered Peggy very well, although young his experience in other forms of dance and musicals set him in good stead.
Dorothy was the annoying ‘Diva’ as expected and if anything a tiny bit too good a dancer. Dorothy has got the role because of her manipulation of men not her talent in this case she also showed talent. But,actually it was quite refreshing to see a new take on some of these characters and it worked very well.
Set changes were swift and the settings worked very well, lighting and sound enhanced the production. Costumes were all to period as was hair and make-up, wigs were particularly nice and finished off the ensembles. It was also great to see appropriate footwear (not just tap shoes) being worn. Each tiny element was addressed and that’s what helps create a great show…well done everyone you charmed us on 42nd Street…..looking forward to the next outing.
 

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