TBTS’s ’42nd Street’ Delivers Cast, Dance, Set; Lacks Depth

WAKEFIELD, RI —  Theatre By The Sea‘s musical “42nd Street”, which opened Aug. 21, features great singing, great dancing, and marvelous set design but lacks a compelling narrative.

During the throes of the Great Depression, the cast of the Broadway musical “Pretty Lady” deal with the rigors of staging a new production. Peggy Sawyer is the sweet but naïve newcomer who auditions for a role as a chorus girl.

Julian Marsh (Patrick Ryan Sullivan) is the hot tempered and egotistical director. Dorothy Brock is the show’s star, a vain and haughty diva who feels threatened by Peggy’s extraordinary talent as a dancer. Dorothy’s wealthy paramour Abner (Beau Allen) has invested thousands of dollars into “Pretty Lady.”  

On opening night, Dorothy falls on stage and breaks an ankle after Peggy bumps into her during a dance number. Julian blames Peggy for the loss of his leading lady and promptly fires her. The economic survival of the dancers and production team of “Pretty Lady” ends up riding on Peggy’s ability to step in for Dorothy. What options would they have otherwise?

Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, the writers of the show, have created stereotypes in place of characters. The denizens of “42nd Street” are painfully one dimensional and completely lacking in depth. What motivates Peggy to want to dance in front of an audience? We never find out much about her, other than she’s from Allentown, PA. As a result, Peggy’s climactic transformation from the ingénue to a Broadway star doesn’t have the dramatic impact it would have if we really knew who she was.

Julian cruelly refers to Peggy as a “speck of dust.” How did he become so jaded and cynical? It’s never explained.

Dorothy steps all over everyone until she finally shows some humanity with a pep talk in Peggy’s dressing room. Where is her back story? We never get one. 

“42nd Street” has plenty of glitz and glamour hiding the hollowness at its core. The show’s creators have nothing interesting to say about the perils of show business, the insecurities of performers, or even the difficulties of life during the Great Depression. 

Theatre By The Sea has always done an admirable job in casting their shows, and “42nd Street” is no exception. Laura Guley is likable and spunky as Peggy. Merrill Peiffer has a lot of fun vamping it up as Dorothy. Peiffer shines with the ballad “I Only Have Eyes for You.”

Sullivan delivers soaring vocals on the show’s signature tune, “Lullaby of Broadway.”

Kat Gold (“Cinderella”) supplies solid comic relief as Maggie Jones, the brassy and outspoken co-producer of “Pretty Lady.”

Newcomer Ashton Lambert displays plenty of charm as young Billy Lawlor with the showstopper “Dames.” 

Director/choreographer Jessica Wockenfuss, along with scenic designer Kyle Dixon, lighting designer Weston Wilkerson, and music director Milton Granger, has created a beautiful looking production.

The sets, costumes, and sound design are all first rate. The dance numbers are terrifically staged. 

All musicals need to feature vibrant singing and dancing, but without an interesting story and characters to care about, there’s nothing left but colorful spectacle. For some audiences just looking for a fun evening out, that will be enough. I was hoping for more.

42nd Street Show Details

42nd Street runs through Sept. 15. Theatre By The Sea. Running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes including intermission. The theatre is located at 364 Cards Pond Road, Wakefield. Discount rates are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (401) 782-3800 x112. Tickets are on sale at the box office Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and performance days from 11:00 am until curtain, (performance Sundays 12 noon until curtain), online 24-hours-a-day at www.theatrebythesea.com and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 782-TKTS (8587).