42nd Street
Production: 42nd Street
Venue: York Theatre Royal
Rating: ***
The curtains partly rise and all that is visible are feet – feet tapping away. As the stage is fully unveiled so is a flamboyant opening, the feet are connected to the scantily dressed cast. Tippity-tap, off we go.
42nd Street, at York Theatre Royal, is a musical singing the story of Peggy – a lovable, dim, country girl with starry-eyed ambitions. Charting Peggy’s rise to fame from the small-time chorus girl, our heroine experiences bitchy rivalry between leading ladies and nearly throws in the towel. When she decides to ditch her career, the whole cast tootle down to Broad St. Station and convince her otherwise by jazz dancing. So all resolves – she’s a star!
Depth is maybe not this musical’s strong point. If one were looking for the ‘grey-matter’ version, I’d suggest the 1950 film All About Eve. It’s superb: Bette Midler, passion, histrionics and theatre! A talented young actress imitates and integrates herself into every aspect of an actress’s life, darkly rising to stardom herself; it’s a hot-and-cold gaze into theatre and its creatures. 42nd Street follows much the same pattern, but is stripped bare of any emotion. It is perhaps unfair to make this comparison between musical and film: 42nd Street, has a completely different criteria to work within, very different conceptual and artistic aims and is targeting different audiences.
However, this production doesn’t meet all the requirements for a musical. To be escapist the gears of its cheeriness must be well-oiled and run on dopamine. In 42nd Street, the clanking of the failing engine could be heard when half the chorus forgot to plaster their saccharine smiles across their face. The accents, though hilarious, were awful; they certainly put the “York” back into New York. The script also lacked any kind of cohesion and at times failed to make sense.
Despite some failings in the production and the rustling toffee wrappers from the prominently older cliental, the show was enjoyable and the costumes and dancing were both spectacular. However the merits where not strong enough to eliminate its flaws, leaving one with a slight ambivalence towards 42nd Street.
42nd Street is showing at York Theatre Royal until 21st February. Ticket prices range from £5 – £19.75.
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I certainly agree that the production was lacking in emotion and ‘grey matter’, the play was mostly held together by the dancing. You’re right about the American accents as well. The most noticeable actor in terms of this was the guy who played “Pat Denning”. He seemed to alternate between a British and American accent every few words. Dear me.