Review: 42ND STREET at Music Hall At Fair Park

Awash in red velvet and gold fringe, the Music Hall at Fair Park stage appeared ready to drift back to the glory days of 1930's Broadway this week as the cast of 42nd Street moved their dancing feet to the Dallas Summer Musicals leg of their national tour. Originally produced in 1980, 42nd Street quickly became a Broadway classic winning Tony Awards® for Best Musical and Best Choreography under the direction of Gower Champion. Its revival in 2001 was equally well-received with a Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical.

42nd Street is the archetypal tale of a small town girl named Peggy (played by Caitlin Ehlinger) achieving her big Broadway dreams by understudying starlet Dorothy Brock (Kaitlin Lawrence) with the grace of a hotshot producer, Julian Marsh (Matthew J. Taylor). Roger Kirk did an impeccable job of setting the scene with his perfectly styled costume designs. Not only were they period-appropriate, but they were so vivid with color that it was a true delight to watch the big production numbers in all of their sequined splendor. The opening number in particular wowed with a myriad of tap shoe hues to fit every facet of the color wheel. Randy Skinner's new choreography was also a treat. The sharp synchronicity of the various tap numbers was incredible and stopped the show on more than one occasion with riotous applause.

As a show with tons of nostalgia, boasting hits like "Lullaby of Broadway" and "Shuffle off to Buffalo," 42nd Street should be an enjoyable production. Unfortunately for the DSM program, this show felt a bit flat for their season closer. It is unclear whether the writing of Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble often left too many lulls in the scene work, or if the direction of Bramble simply mis-stepped in clarity for the actors on this tour. Regardless of the source, this show often feels sloppy. Several of the principle characters are unremarkable as they converse in a disjointed escapade of monotone epilogues sprinkled with mislaid one-liners. These principles remain equally as overshadowed by the ensemble in the zealous, knock-out dance numbers.

If one were to pick a standout performance of the evening, it would be a toss-up between actress Britte Steele as comedic writer, Maggie Jones and actor Blake Stadnik as tenuous tenor, Billy Lawlor. Steele towers over the other female leads with her overall bravado in this role. Vying for scene-stealing rights, this candid character is sadly often positioned opposite much more timid actors and thus her vivacity can come off as a bit forced. Blake Stadnik fares better, dropping into the picture with an honest, boyish charm and dazzling smile. His tap skills are wholly impressive and he leads the ensemble with tenacious tempos in all of the large scale dance numbers. This is made ever more impressive by the fact that Stadnik is legally blind due to his battle with Stargardt disease. Regrettably, his character seldom appears onstage in favor of other more forgettable personalities.

This show is certainly suitable for all ages and makes for a fine family outing. Come and meet those dancing feet before they shuffle off to buffalo: 42nd Street continues their run at the Music Hall at Fair park through July 10th and will continue their tour at the Bass Performance Hall July 12-17.

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