42ND STREET

Are you in a bad mood, and want to rise above it? If you’re in Los Angeles, you’re in luck. Just go right on over to the Pantages Theatre, and see the musical 42nd Street, and you’ll be feeling better in no time.

I mean it—really no time. The show opens with a stunning full-cast tap dance number, that had the opening night audience in a frenzy. We were literally screaming from the moment the curtain began to rise! (The woman next to me was cheering so loudly for every move that I think she damaged my right eardrum! No lie. It was like sitting next to me.)

The show ended on a high, as well, because the curtain call was yet another spectacular group tap dance. I’ve rarely seen anything like it, and, trust me, I’ve seen more musicals in my life than most people have!

You’ll be smiling the whole time. 42nd Street is perfectly good old-fashioned entertainment. And if you’re a dance aficionado, the show is a must. Even if you’re not, I just about guarantee that you’ll still love the show.

The songs themselves were a surprise to me; I could not believe that so many beautiful old standards, such as I Only Have Eyes For You* and Lullaby of Broadway, were in this show. (Some were written for the 1933 film, while others were from the same songwriting team, Harry Warren and Al Dubin, but from their catalog in general.) [*Note: I could not live with myself if I did not point-out that that title is incorrect syntax—it should be I Have Eyes For Only You. That’s because the speaker is trying to say that he has eyes for only you, not that he only has eyes. So many people put the word “only” in the wrong place in sentences. Sorry to tell you that in the middle of my review, but I have to take my teaching opportunities where I can.]

The only real surprise here is that I, a major musical fan since I was about two, had never seen this show before! Everyone who knows me is shocked by that fact. But, I’m glad that this production of it is my very first one because I cannot imagine a better group of dancers. My friend, Jeanine, a tap dance hobbyist herself, has seen 42nd Street many times, and said that this was the best production of it she’s ever seen.

So, here are the basic scoops: this is the touring company of the Broadway musical, which was first produced on The Great White Way in 1980. It’s based on the 1933 Busby Berkeley film, (which, shockingly, I’ve also never seen!,) which, in turn, was based on a 1932 novel of the same title. So, that the story itself is totally cliché, and chock full of holes, has just got to be overlooked here. I’m sure that in 1933 the now-inane script about a country bumpkin taking over for a big Broadway star may have been believable, but, nowadays, it’s just something to be amused by.

But I didn’t care about any of that. Nor was I bothered much by the many over-the-top performances. I’m sure that way of acting was built into the writing and direction, and the opening night audience ate it up.

For me, the show is all about the dance numbers, the colors, and the Roger Kirk-designed costumes. [Digression: When sequins were all the rage several years ago, my parents were visiting from New York. My father opened one of my closets, and, after taking one look at all my blinged-out evening attire, (some of which I had gotten from Cher!,) he asked incredulously, “What are these?! Costumes???” Also, I used to know ice skating champion Dorothy Hamill, and she’d joke that my street clothing was more sparkly than her skating outfits! So, you can see why I admired the fun wardrobe in 42nd Street so much.]

Now back to the jaw-dropping dancing. I consider tapping to be such a lost art these days that I was shocked to discover so many dancers on stage who are masters of it! And the choreography, (which I believe is a blend of the original by Gower Champion with newer renditions by Randy Skinner,) is amazing. (And you all know how rarely I use that word.) Since all the dancers seem so accomplished, I was shocked by how new to show business most of the cast is. How wonderful to have worked that hard up to this point, and then get cast in a dream show for dancers. I think that knowledge added to the glow on everyone’s faces up there. There was so much happiness in the entire theatre that no one seemed to want to leave!

Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre is actually the perfect venue for this show. Built in 1930, (and even though it’s been spruced-up since then, the powers-that-be kept that magical 1930s look and feel,) it totally matches the sets. There’s one number in the first act, that features a lot of mirrors in the style of the ’30s, During it, I kept thinking that I had just seen a room like that recently. It turns-out, it was the lounge area of two of the Ladies Rooms in the theatre!

One of the things I like most about reviewing all these shows is what I find-out when I research them after the performances. The history of a musical such as 42nd Street can be intriguing, and this one is particularly mind-boggling. (For example, the great Gower Champion, who was the original director and choreographer, and therefore shaped the show for generations to come, died of a rare blood cancer a few hours before the original 1980 Broadway opening! OMG!) Check it out for yourself because the journey is all so fascinating. And just about as colorful as the show itself, which I hope you’ll see really soon, while you have this opportunity.

42nd Street running through June 19, 2016
Pantages Theatre  6233 Hollywood Blvd.  800-982-2727 www.hollywoodpantages.com