42nd Street ★★★★

If you’re a devoted fan of musical theatre like we are at The Recs, you’ve probably seen 42^nd Street. It’s as classic as they come and not only broke the mould for shows of its kind when it premiered in 1980, with its huge tap numbers featuring countless numbers of dancers in total and glorious synchronisation, it also went on to win Best Musical and Best Choreography Tony and Olivier awards and even a Best Revival Tony in 2001.

Its most recent production in London before this one was in 2017, when it returned to Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the place where it first opened in London in 1984. That production was a record breaker in itself, playing at the cavernous Lane for half a decade and its 2017 revival did a respectable two years in the 2,500 seat theatre, and boasted a cast including non-other than Sheena Easton in her West End Debut, Bonnie Langford and even Lulu, all in the role of Dorothy Brock.

Based on the 1932 novel by Bradford Ropes and the subsequent 1933 Hollywood film adaptation, this backstage musical follows the rehearsal process of a Broadway show (Pretty Lady) being put on during the height of the Great Depression. The show is a jukebox musical of sorts, in that, in addition to songs from the 1933 film 42nd Street, it includes songs that Dubin and Warren wrote for many other films at around the same time, many of which even the most infrequent of theatre goers would recognise, such as ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, ‘We’re in the Money’, and of course the title song ‘42^nd Street’.

This new UK tour is making its second stop after the Leicester Curve, in London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and until July it stars musical theatre royalty Ruthie Henshall in the role of Dorothy, Les Dennis, and Adam Garcia. With such a legacy and top-quality show as this, all-star casting isn’t totally necessary and in this particular production that is possibly more evident than ever. Les Dennis, with a television and stage career that spans over 50 years, does exactly what the show needs him to and is great in the role of Bert Barry, delivering cheekiness, kindness and just an ounce of stupidity to the character, but we were left feeling a little…underwhelmed.

Adam Garcia, whose stage, television and film career is pretty extensive for someone who rose to fame in musical theatre, plays the role of the show’s director, Julian Marsh, and is good strong casting. It has to be said however, having made note of the original cast list a number of months ago and not refreshed before the show, it wasn’t until Garcia joined the ensemble for the finale of 42^nd Street that we recognised him from his brilliant dance talent. That was probably more to be said for the somewhat unchallenging role of Marsh than Garcia’s abilities though, and seeing him dancing the complex and rousing tap finale in the front row, to the standard of the performers behind him who are likely half his age (can you believe he’s 50?!), The Recs was taken back to the days of Garcia’s breakout role as suave, sexy, hip thrusting Tony Monero in Saturday Night Fever, which he originated at the London Palladium. Again, The Recs has no complaints, but we think an audience may have expected more from a star with top billing.

Ruthie Henshall, made famous in musical theatre from her untouchable portrayal of Roxie Hart in the show Chicago, and who went on to play Fantine in the original ‘Dreamcast’ of Les Misérables, is probably better known in a non-theatre household for appearing on the 2020 series of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Appearing for only 6 weeks in 42^nd Street as the indomitable Dorothy Brock, Henshall has huge shoes to fill, the role needing gravitas and unending stage presence. Sadly, we aren’t certain Henshall was able to deliver, which as devoted fans is hard for us to say, but issues with pitch during songs and a strange tendency to elongate and overuse vowels sounds to a degree that would make Patti LuPone sound tame, left us a feeling rather disappointed. It certainly wasn’t the flawless and exciting performance that musical theatre fans may have expected Henshall to have given us as this iconic role.

All was not lost though, as our two juvenile leads of the show shone brighter than bright in this production, Nicole-Lily Baisden in the role of Peggy Sawyer, and with a heap of Broadway and North American credits to his name, Sam Lips as charismatic tenor Billy Lawlor. Baisden is quite something as the shy, unassuming but fiercely talented role of Peggy, and she steps up to the mark without fault. Within minutes of meeting Baisden she is out-tapping her supporting cast members with such clarity and precision of step and sound that its fair to say she is up there with them best of them. She matches her incredible dance talent with her acting and vocals, making her a true triple-threat in every sense of the word, and with two major credits already under her belt, we can see a very bright future for this actress.

Not to be out shone though is Sam Lips, who in the role of Billy Lawlor gives us pure musical theatre magic. It could be said that the talent found on Broadway can be a level above what is usually found in a supporting role on the West End, and if that is true it is certainly true of this actor, as he has it all. His embodiment of the charismatic poster boy tenor of the show Pretty Lady is impeccable, from his modest acting portrayal of the character which didn’t look to steal scenes or be the focus of every interaction, to his effortless dance style and soaring tenor vocals. Lips’ voice has one of those voices which you could listen to all day, and the only shame was that he didn’t get to sing more. It isn’t easy to portray a flawless dreamy character such as Lawlor in a musical, especially not in the classic musical theatre style of the 1930’s that this show requires, but Lips hits every single mark, note and emotion, and was the standout star for us.

Jonathan Church’s direction is commendable and the show flows smoothly and without any dull or painstakingly long scenes. It is beautifully complimented by Bill Deamer’s trademark joyous choreography, arguably one of the UK’s very best choreographer’s who seemingly never gets it wrong. A true talent. Robert Jones’ costumes are equally joyous and avoid the pits and flaws that many UK touring productions costuming can fall into where sequins and satin are employed more generously in order to cover for lack of design. As well as Jones’s beautiful ensemble of costumery, his set design is also to a high standard and works seamlessly with the show’s direction. The show does somewhat lack the production levels of the West End revival in 2017, both in a distinct absence of enough chorus dancers for the big numbers, and a suitably enormous staircase to display them all on the for show’s toe tapping finale. We understand why Jones has designed a tapered staircase to make it seem like there are more dancers on stage than there are, but when you have a row of one single dancer at the top, it’s like trying to hide a grammatical mistake with a magnifying glass.

All in all, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable show which is a total delight to have back in London, so don’t waste any time, tap on down to Sadler’s Wells before 2 July, or catch this classic musical juggernaut at one of its UK Touring venues before the end of October.