Nancy Anderson returned to perform a perfectly weary and poignant "Ten Cents a Dance" that makes one wonder why Ms. Anderson did not play the legendary taxi dancer Charity Hope Valentine. Worth much more than ten cents was Sean Martin Hingston and Shannon Lewis' funny and sexy rendition of "Serenade of Love," from Nina Rosa, with elegant choreography courtesy of Andy Blankenbuehler.
Mmes. Anderson, Skinner, and Keenan-Bolger sang a quietly intense (and wonderfully unamplified) "Love for Sale" that aptly captured the weariness and despair not only of the prostitutes, but of all the people suffering in the Depression. The mood was brought back up with Ms. Skinner's sultry "I've Got a Crush on You," which also featured Ross Patterson's Little Big Band in an excellent all-too-short interlude. The 
evening was brought to a rousing finish by the full company performing "Get Happy," proving that Judy Garland isn't the only one who can sell that number.
As Mr. Siegel explained, in this first full year of the Depression, Americans were only vaguely aware of the economic trouble that would plague them for another decade. Hope was still reigning on the Great White Way—after all with the music, rhythm, and sweet dreams of some of Broadway's most legendary songwriters, who could ask for anything more?
Photographs courtesy of Maryann Lopinto
