42nd St. at The Rose Center Theater is a Taptastic Treat!

Catch it in its final weekend!

Originally a Hollywood film produced in 1933 and adapted to stage several times starting in 1980, 42nd St. is a musical about the travails of staging a musical. The Rose Center Theater production delivers it delightfully and playfully. Kudos to artistic director Tim Nelson, his cast and his crew.

Song and Dance Appeal

Immediately, you will be struck by the sizeable, engaging dance numbers. Indeed, nearly 50 dancers at a time performing tap. How often do you get to see expert tap dancing at this scale? Amanda Jean, the actress in the role of Peggy Sawyer, is a standout with her fast, effortless moves. It is no mystery why the fictional production company fell in love with her. As it turns out, much of the cast and chorus are or where Disneyland performers.

The sets are minimal with a heavy reliance on backscreen projection. This allows for fast scene changes and an enhanced emphasis on the cast.

Sound Quality

All of the principals wear lavalier (wireless) microphones, so the vocals and dialogue are clear. You won’t miss a word and that was such a relief for me. So often, this is an issue for me at other musical venues.

Costumes and….Wigs!

Part of the fun of a retro extravaganza is the period look and this production delivers colorful costumes. You will see bellhops, flappers, sailors, gangsters, aristocrats, dandies, etc. The big surprises where the realistic looking wigs worn by the female cast. These were in the fingerwave style, which was popular at the 20’s-30’s. One of the theater volunteers told me that a theater staff member makes the wigs by hand and with real human hair. Congratulations to wig maker Cliff Senior!

Time Flies When You See This Production

There are no slow moments in this production. It is engaging from start to finish. So much so, that I forgot to take photos until well into the second act. I think you will agree.