42nd Street – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Bonnie Langford in 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

42nd Street continues at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, booking until 5 January 2019.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

It’s hard for me not to feel a tad sentimental about 42nd Street. Despite the fact I am getting older and there are moments when I enter a room, not remembering why I went in there in the first place, I do have very vivid memories of going to the see the same show at the same venue in 1984.

I recall being blown away by the sheer spectacle and joy of it all from the instant the curtain rose on that famous row of feet tapping in perfect unison.

Decades later, filled with watching many, many musicals, you might think the cynic in me would have a slightly less enthusiastic reaction to this show, but not so, I could have easily have been the same impressionable teenager beginning a long love affair with theatre.

There are a few caveats, which I shall mention below, but on the whole this is a delightful blast from the past, oozing nostalgia and transporting the audience back to an age of black and white Warner Bros movie musicals with grand production numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley.

The main purpose of this particular gala night was the introduction of Bonnie Langford in the role of Dorothy Brock, the ‘experienced’ star of musical-within-a-musical Pretty Lady who is getting another crack at Broadway fame (thanks to her relationship with Bruce Montague’s wealthy Abner Dillon who has put up all the cash to back the show). The role has been previously played in this production by Sheena Easton and Lulu.

From child star via memorable roles in film and TV and onstage, Langford has enjoyed an incredible career, winning a whole new generation of fans recently due to her presence in BBC1’s EastEnders.

Her versatility is such that she’s still equally at home back in a major West End musical– in fact, she makes it all look very easy. The phrase ‘they don’t make them like that anymore’ comes to mind as she even manages to bring some substance to the slight dialogue at her disposal (the libretto is not the star of 42nd Street). Even when Brock is being unkind to Clare Halse’s Peggy Sawyer – the chorus girl we are all rooting for – it’s impossible to resent her for very long.

Langford also proves herself quite the powerhouse in the vocal department, my favourite scene being the very memorable ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’.

The only frustration is that the character of Brock cannot dance so the audience doesn’t get to see Langford join in the big production numbers. On this particular evening, we were treated to an extended finale in which Langford joined Halse and got to show off a few moves. I hope they do this every night as it’s just what theatregoers would love to see.

Langford is one very good reason to catch 42nd Street, but the real stars of the show are the absolutely incredible dance numbers, spectacularly staged and choreographed by Randy Skinner.

The book is really just a way of connecting these numbers together, although the odd one forwards the plot a little, so it’s to the credit of the principal cast that it is possible to like and engage with their characters.

This is one of the qualities that stands out about Halse’s performance. Despite the lack of decent text to work with on the acting front, we see her mature from out of town rookie to a young woman who believes she can be a Broadway star. And on top of that, she is a phenomenal dancer that exudes stage presence.

She is, of course, helped in her endeavours by a 50-plus-strong ensemble all dancing for their lives with flair and precision. Add to that set changes from innovative designer Douglas W Schmidt – the mirror that captures an aerial flew of the dancers (Berkeley style) and a staircase that unfolds towards us – it turns out to be jaw-dropping stuff. Credit here must also go to the excellent work of Roger Kirk (costumes), Peter Mumford (lighting) and Gareth Owen (sound).

Other special mentions must go to the uber-talented and likeable Ashley Day, playing ‘juvenile male lead’ Billy Lawlor who soon falls with Peggy’s charms, and the rather excellent Tom Lister as brooding, bad-tempered and passionate theatre director Julian Marsh. Lister gives a darker edge to his portrayal of a character who has lost out big-time in the 1929 crash and is desperate for Pretty Lady to succeed at the box office.

The only reservations come with some of the dated dialogue, particularly in reference to women’s physical appearance, which are cringeworthy to hear. I appreciate that 42nd Street is a musical theatre classic and is set in 1933, but in the age we live now would it really have made a difference to cut the odd slightly offensive line here or there? And while Jasna Ivir and Christopher Howell demonstrate good comic timing, it really doesn’t help during the cringeworthy ‘Shuffle Off to Buffalo’ sequence which I could hardly worth.

That aside, though, I wouldn’t hesitate to get along and catch co-author and director Mark Bramble’s stunning production which brings the Golden Age of musicals to the West End.

How wonderful is it as well to hear Harry Warren and Al Dubin’s sensational score sung and danced in this way and played by a first-class orchestra led by music director Jae Alexander.

Lisa Martland