42nd Street, Theatre Royal Plymouth until 12 August, 2023 and touring.

4****: Cormac Richards

Box Office 01752 267222 www.theatreroyal.com

Running time – 2 hours, 30 minutes – 1 interval

The ultimate backstage musical; 42nd Street hit the stage in 1980 and is based on the 1930s film of the same name. It is, in many respects, a jukebox musical with songs picked from a variety of sources. It is a big show and deserves a big production. This is the tour of the 2017 West End revival which played at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane – and it was big and expensive. For economic and logistical reasons, it has had to be slimmed down with smaller sets and fewer performers. The results are good, but the wow factor is, sadly, no longer as evident as it was.

That all said, this is still very entertaining. Designer Robert Jones’ sets and costumes sparkle throughout offering a glittering backdrop to the excellent orchestra under the direction of Grant Walsh. Familiar tunes abound as the story of ‘inexperienced chorus girl hits the big time’, Peggy Sawyer, plays out. Characterisation through the story is not exactly three-dimensional, so if you are looking for deep and meaningful relationships etc, then this show isn’t for you – we are in broad brush territory here; but the challenge for performers is to make something of the roles in front of them.

Nicole-Lily Baisden is full of wide-eyed earnestness and pleases throughout with a really audience-friendly performance; boy, can she tap dance! Samantha Womack laps up the chance to deliver some great bitchy lines as the diva Dorothy Brock – one of the slightly better developed characters. Michael Praed is the tough, straight-talking director Julian Marsh – curiously stumbling over lines multiple times. As the writers of the show within the show, Faye Tozer is outstanding as Maggie Jones, squeezing everything from the script and adding much needed oomph; while Les Dennis bumbles around reasonably effectively as Bert Barry. Sam Lips has a great voice and good feet and does what he can with Billy Lawlor, but it is a role which sort of disappears during the show and if there is any love interest between him and Peggy it isn’t made obvious – likewise that between Peggy and Marsh.

The hardworking ensemble can’t spend too long in the dressing room except to change costume and get back on stage again. The choreography and musical staging by Bill Deamer hits the right notes in the main, ditching some of the original signature moments along the way. The tap dancing throughout is undeniably top notch.

This is a fun, rather old-fashioned, musical and the production is very good, but I couldn’t help but feel it was just missing something; so difficult to put a finger on. There is nothing significantly wrong with it but I wasn’t blown away.

Cast

Andy Lee – Jordan Crouch

Maggie Jones – Faye Tozer

Bert Barry – Les Dennis

Mac – Kevin Brewis

Phyllis Dale – Aimee Hodnett

Lorraine Fleming – Erica-Jayne Alden

Ann Reilly – Sarah-Marie Maxwell

Billy Lawlor – Olly Christopher

Peggy Sawyer – Nicole-lily Baisden

Julian Marsh – Michael Praed

Dorothy brock – Samantha Womack

Abner Dillon – Anthony Ofoegbu

Pat denning – Oliver Farnworth

Creatives

Music – Harry Warren

Lyrics – Al Dubin

Book – Michael Stewart & mark bramble

Director – Jonathan Church

Choreography – Bill Deamer

Set & Costume Design – Robert Jones

Musical director – Grant Walsh

Lighting design – Ben Cracknell

Sound design – Ian Dickinson & Gareth Tucker

Image – Johan Persson