A Star Is Born on '42nd Street'

"42^nd Street"

Music by Harry Warren; lyrics by Al Dubin; book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble based on the novel by Bradford Ropes; directed by Charles Repole; choreographer, Michael Lichtefeld; musical director, Craig Barna; scenic design by Jeff Modereger; lighting design by Jack Mehler; sound design by John A. Stone; costumes provided by Costume World Theatricals; wig and hair design by Gerard Kelly

Cast in order of appearance:

Andy Lee, Joel Blum; Mac, Mitch Poulos; Oscar, Warren Curtis; Anytime Annie, Mara Newbery; Maggie Jones, Susan Cella; Diane, Dana Winkle; Ethel, Hilary Rushford; Winnie, Brittany Lewis; Gladys, Courtney Romano; Billy Lawlor, Todd Lattimore; Peggy Sawyer, Melissa Lone; Phyllis, Alissa Alter; Lorraine, Cassie Abate; Julian Marsh, Patrick Ryan Sullivan; Dorothy Brock, Beth Glover; Abner Dillon, Hardy Rawls; Pat Denning, Gary Lindemann; Thug, Mitch Poulos; Thief, Warren Curtis; Doctor, Mitch Poulos; Waiter, Richard Riaz Yoder

Performances: Now through November 23, North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, Mass.
Box Office: 978-232-7200 or www.nsmt.org

Life imitates art in the peppy North Shore Music Theatre production of 42^nd Street currently gracing the famed theater-in-the-round in Beverly, Massachusetts. Just as the musical's ingénue Peggy Sawyer steps in at the last minute to replace the ailing (and aging) diva Dorothy Brock in producer/director Julian Marsh's bid at a big Broadway comeback, actress Melissa Lone hastily stepped into the triple threat role when the original Sawyer, Jessica Lee Goldyn, bowed out to play Ivy in the City Center Encores! production of On the Town this week. In true "the show must go on" fashion, Lone emerges a star.

Singing beautifully, tapping exquisitely, and acting with a perky and ingratiating innocence, Lone is a captivating starry-eyed hopeful. Her wistful charms are exceeded only by her technically precise yet breathtakingly fluid dancing. She is both energetic and graceful, the perfect combination of eager pup and undisputed talent.

Unfortunately, the overall production falls a bit short of Lone's stellar performance. Missing is the winking pastiche that turns thinly drawn stereotypes into delightfully farcical characters. Much of the comedy that is essential in making this syrupy 1930s backstage nostalgia palatable is forsaken. Director Charles Repole has opted instead for a more straightforward, sentimental telling. The result is a show that bustles along brightly when it's singing and dancing but falters in the thinly written book scenes. For a confection like 42^nd Street to click on all cylinders, the actors need to know they are serving candy corn and revel gaily in its sickening sweetness. Here the cast for the most part serves unadorned saccharine.

The two biggest casualties of Repole's earnest direction are Patrick Ryan Sullivan as larger-than-life producer/director Julian Marsh and Beth Glover as the temperamental stage veteran Dorothy Brock. Sullivan's Marsh is all bluster and no charm. His clichéd pep talks are neither big enough to earn real laughs nor impassioned enough to reveal the undaunted sincerity still surviving beneath the jaded cynicism. He shows a glimmer of rattled vulnerability and showbiz optimism now and then, but his inner warmth never ignites beyond a pilot light.

Glover plays Brock as an unhappy prima donna, demanding and mean-spirited and tired of her loveless stardom. Her gorgeous, smoky voice and skillful dancing belie what should be her character's questionable talents. She turns what could and should be a villainous but sympathetic comic tour de force into a sad and ultimately unsatisfying has been.

The exuberant tap-happy ensemble lets loose early and often, injecting high-octane entertainment whenever they are on stage. Notable among the chorus members playing chorus members are a trio of Sawyer's gal pals, Annie, Phyllis and Lorraine played by Mara Newbery, Alissa Alter and Cassie Abate. Also appropriately effervescent and spunky are talented tenor Todd Lattimore as the company's preeminent "juvenile" lead Billy Lawlor and sparkling Susan Cella as seasoned composer-slash-company den mother Maggie Jones.

The 12-piece orchestra under the direction of Craig Barna delivers the jaunty score with a fresh, jazzy brio, and choreographer Michael Lichtefeld challenges his skilled troupe with intricate and innovative terpsichore. They, along with Lone and a solid ensemble, make this "lullaby of old Broadway" a pleasant stroll down a musical memory lane.

PHOTOS BY PAUL LYDEN: Melissa Lone as Peggy Sawyer and Beth Glover as Dorothy Brock; the Company of 42^nd Street; Melissa Lone and Todd Lattimore as Billy Lawlor

 

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