42nd Street: The Musical

OK, once you get past all the British actors doing American 1930s accents and settle into the familiar story, this is a solid and enjoyable production. You also have to get past this Dorothy Brock's being at least a decade too old for the part.

Bonnie Langford sings OK as Dorothy but seems likes she's doing an impression of Andrea Martin. Her Brock is too old and too nasty, which makes her gracious exit a bit hard to believe. Faring better is Tom Lister as the frantic Julian. He's the only cast member who actually acts well and his singing voice is fine.

Peggy Sawyer is portrayed by a semi-frumpy Clare Halse (it may be just the hideous wig) who never quite captures that "star quality" the show is all about. She dances better than she sings. But she seems too short.

But Philip Bertioli is a joyous Billy who brings a much needed pizazz to his character, and his dancing is excellent. Also noteworthy is Jasna Ivir as Maggie the producer. She brings a big Tessie O'Shea energy to the show.

The music of Harry Warren and Al Dubin is timeless. And it's a joy to hear and the dancing numbers are very well done. Some of the cuts to close-ups are jarring.

The 1933 film starred Bebe Daniels, Warner Baxter, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell. The original 1980 Broadway production starred Tammy Grimes, Jerry Orbach, Wanda Richert, Lee Roy Reams, and Carole Cook.

I saw the David Merrick version twice in London, and have seen this latest version 3 times in London. So to see it again after the show closed, in the cinemas was an added bonus. I left out a star (making a perfect 10) because the camera concentrated on close ups rather than showing the dancing. So I now understand why Fred Astaire wanted full length body camera work when making his films.

It is the best theatre musical ever - if you are a lover of tap dancing,, and this show has it in spades. Personal preference, but Sheena Easton made a far better Dorothy Brock than Bonnie Langford. And Clare Halse - one sensational tap dancer, should have shared the applause at the end with BL and Tom Lister.

It was brilliant to relive all the amazing dancing, but lacked the atmosphere of the live theatre. Saying that, I thought there would be a dvd to buy at the end, but sadly not. Perhaps a trick has been missed on merchandising.

Having been drawn by the high rating, I was sadly disappointed. It's a pleasant enough performance but could have been so much better. The dance numbers are fantastic, however the acting ability of the cast is lacking.

If you want to see what a GREAT Stage Musical should be like, then look no further than the 1999 London Stage performance of Oklahoma!, starring Hugh Jackman and Maureen Lipman.

Sadly, this version of 42nd Street isn't in the same ballpark. The Original 1933 B&W movie still reigns supreme.

This musical is the Mother of Broadway shows. Every performance is great, the musical score is beautiful. This musical will give you a glimpse of old Broadway.

If I were just rating this based on the performances, I would give it 10 stars. The tap dancing is especially phenomenal. However, the show was boring, predictable, and basic. Nothing makes these characters stand out and I could predict every plot point before it happened. The songs had particularly boring lyrics and though the melodies were enjoyable, none were catchy or memorable. If you're just here to see a lot of good tap dancing, you'll probably enjoy it.