42nd Street
Liverpool Empire
Tapping it’s way into Liverpool for a limited time, the UK and Ireland tour of 42nd Street brought Depression-era Broadway glamour in a way that only this classical musical within a musical can.
Based on a 1933 film, which itself is based on an earlier novel, 42nd Street as a stage show originated in the 1980’s and features well-known musical numbers such as We’re In The Money, Keep Young And Beautiful, and the eponymous 42nd Street. There have been numerous revivals over the years, with this latest tour choreographed and designed by Olivier Award winners Bill Deamer and Robert Jones, and directed by Jonathan Church.
42nd Street tells the story of Peggy Sawyer (Nicole-Lily Baisden) who has just arrived in New York City, fresh from her hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her dream is to be a star on Broadway, and she quickly secures a spot in the chorus of the new musical ‘Pretty Lady’ which is being developed by director Julian Marsh (Michael Praed) and co-writers / producers Maggie Jones (Faye Tozer) and Bert Barry (Les Dennis). In order to bring ‘Pretty Lady’ to the stage, Marsh is forced to include the ageing actress Dorothy Brock (Samantha Womack) as his lead, as her Sugar Daddy is the financial backer for the show. During a rehearsal, Brock is injured and Sawyer steps into the role so that the show can go on, and her fellow chorus line performers are able to secure their jobs.
This production begins with video clips of The Great Depression that are intertwined with the chorus auditions for ‘Pretty Lady’. This felt like a fantastic way to ground the play, as so much of the play relies on at least a passing knowledge of the struggles during The Great Depression, whilst also introducing the ensemble in an effective way.
The staging, costume and lighting are all fantastic. Robert Jones has totally excelled at delivering effortlessly beautiful costumes that capture 1930’s glamour. The costumes within the second act during the ‘Pretty Lady’ performance are particularly stunning, with more sequins on the stage than any show we have previously watched. The way the light glitters off the costumes during the dance numbers was almost hypnotic.
The sheer number of costumes within this production was unexpected. With so many people in the cast, we didn’t think there would be as many costume changes as there were, nor the number of quick changes. The majority occur during the ‘Pretty Lady’ production, and for some there is only half a song in which to completely change costume. With so many people needing to change, we’re not sure how they managed to complete this with the speed that they did.
Lighting designer Ben Cracknell has also created some incredibly inventive lighting designs that enhance the performances on stage. Our personal favourites were during the Shadow Waltz during act I and 42nd Street during act II. The moody red lighting of the latter seemed to complete Peggy’s transformation into leading lady; stepping out of the light she was transformed.
Ultimately, 42nd Street can only succeed with an amazing ensemble, and this production definitely had this. Not one person put a foot wrong. Every tap step was sharp and there was no evidence of faked tap sounds, which we have definitely heard in other shows. No matter who you focussed on during the big tap numbers, you could see the joy on the face of the performers. Completing the same tap routine day in day out has a risk of becoming robotic, and almost dialled in, but nobody in the cast seemed to drift into this; they were all entirely present and it was beautiful to watch.
The main cast were also fabulous. Samantha Womack as Dorothy Brock provided a perfect old broadway charm which was combined effortlessly with a jaded prima donna aloofness. This is the first production we have seen Samantha Womack in, but as Eurovision fans we had heard her sing before. What we weren’t prepared for though was the flawless and sultry delivery of her vocals. There’s a line in the show about letting the audience come to you whilst singing (Dorothy gives the advice to Peggy ahead of her debut), but it felt like Samantha Womack had taken every piece of that advice. She never overplayed the part, but let us into the world of Dorothy by inviting us in rather than dragging us in.
The other stand out performance was from Nicole-Lily Baisden as Peggy Sawyer. We have seen her perform in The Book of Mormon, so we were already aware of her fantastic voice and brilliant comedic timing, but we had no idea she was a full triple threat with outstanding tap dancing skills. She completely and utterly embodied the character of Peggy. The giddy joy she brought to the opening scenes was infectious and instantly connected us to the character. Baisden is a unique talent, and the role of Peggy could almost have been written for her.
The other stand out performances for us were from Faye Tozer and Michael Praed. As Maggie, Tozer had impeccable comedy timing. Her character could easily have been lost amongst the strong female leads, but instead was the perfect accompaniment. Michael Praed was effortlessly charming with an undercurrent of strictness. He was every bit the famous director looking for his next hit.
Unfortunately, very early into the performance we attended there was a technical issue. Just as Billy Lawlor (Sam Lips) was rehearsing with Dorothy in scene 3, the show came to a stop. There had been a mic crackle shortly before the stop, so we’re fairly certain that the stop was due to a sound issue. The team were able to get the sound back and resume the show, but we were waiting for a full hour for that to happen.
Waiting an hour is obviously not ideal for anyone, least of all the cast, but the alternative would have been the show not resuming at all. When they returned to the stage, the cast were impeccable. A special mention though has to be made for Michael Praed who had numerous lines that were unfortunate given the hour delay.
“They’ve waited this long , they can wait another minute.” - Julian Marsh Act II Scene vi
Despite the delay, the show was absolutely fantastic and the hour delay didn’t detract from our enjoyment. We would highly recommend a trip to 42nd Street.
The show has ended at the Liverpool Empire, but the tour is coming to Manchester Monday 16th October to Saturday 21st October at the Manchester Opera House. Tickets can be booked on the ATG website.
The tour is also continuing into 2024. Full details can be found on the 42nd Street website.
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