A giddy celebration of song and dance
The musical will never be known for subtle lyrics or complex characters. The unabashedly hokey tale of an Allentown ingenue with dreams of becoming a Broadway star shows a world that's pure cock-eyed optimism. Herein, New York City is a shiny, happy place devoid of dirt, homelessness and despair. It's set in 1933, but is more Busby Berkley than Dorothea Lange. Heck. even the criminals of this New York City wear rhinestones. If your production leaves any room for doubt that fresh-faced Peggy Sawyer won't succeed on her quest for stardom, you're doing it all wrong.
Director Mark Bramble strikes just the right tone in this Broadway fable by Harry Warren (music), Al Dubin(lyrics) and Michael Stewart(who penned the book with Bramble). When the worst epithet is "aw shucks" and the hippest slang Is older than your grandparents, ("she's got a voice that'll panic 'em!"), you've got dialogue that's begging to be delivered in the style of a vintage melodrama. And that's precisely what Bramble does. The ensemble imbues the iconic lines ("You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!") with a pitch-perfect blend of irony and sincerity. They're celebrating the simplistic story with just enough self-awareness to take the cheese out of it.
And sure as that shiny dime that solves everybody's financial problems in "We're in the Money", there is ample cheese in . Take the plot, for example. When does first-time chorine Peggy Sawyer (Caitlin Ehlinger) get promoted to leading lady? Right after a performance where she's so out of step, she breaks leading lady Dorothy Brock's (Kaitlin Lawrence) ankle. Moreover, Peggy's left-footedness isn't a fluke: During the first rehearsal, she's so taxed by the choreography that she passes out. During a later rehearsal, she manages to remain vertical, but she also crashes into Brock, among other cast members. And then there's the out-of-town tryout catastrophe that puts Dorothy in a cast. It's pure bunk that such an on-stage menace would even keep her job, much less take over for the leading lady she just sent to the hospital.
Also problematic? The the predatory skeeviness of showbiz impresario Julian Marsh (Matthew J. Taylor), who is both Peggy's boss and about twice her age. His methods for getting a love scene out of Peggy would have him brought up on sexual harassment charges in the real world (or at least left Peggy traumatized). Instead of seeing Marshall as a wolf-slimeball hybrid, Peggy worships him as a as a genius father figure while simultaneously falling for him. Oh. Please. Things were different tin 1933, but they weren't that different.
The genius of is that when the show is done well, you put all those issues aside. It turns into a sheer celebration of song and dance and the power of believing in your dreams. And that is what happens in Troika's production.
Choreographer Gower Champion's dances (slightly repurposed and renewed for the tour by Randy Skinner) will make your heart sing and your toes tap. The title tune is a mega-dazzler that's pure glitz and glory. As an ode to Niagara honeymoons that end with quickie divorces in Reno, "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" is a hoot that gives a well-deserved comic showcase to Britte Steele and Steven Bidwell (who play the co-writers of "Pretty Lady.")
"We're in the Money" looks like Ike a million bucks, with the cast tapping to beat the band on rows of gigantic coins. And "Lullaby of Broadway" utterly captures the bawdy, addictive, joyous pageantry and humanity of the legendary Great White Way. The cast's energy is palpable in these numbers, and whether or not you're a musical theater nerd, they will leave you with a deep sense of satisfaction.
The individual performances aren't as consistently terrific as the ensemble pieces. Director Bramble has Peggy Sawyer talking with a breathy, high-pitched whisper that's absolutely infantilizing. This Peggy isn't 't a young woman capable of leaving her hometown to seek her destiny. She's a toddler in need of constant protection and supervision. Ehlinger is terrific when she sings, but when Peggy Sawyer isn't performing, she's comes across as a baby in need of her blankie and a juice box..
As Marsh, Taylor turns out to be the show's star, despite the character's aforementioned issues. Taylor has a jaw like a Cadillac bumper and the chiseled features of an Italian statue. And he is hilarious in the firebrand, life-and-death import he instills in Marshall's dialogue. Plus, Taylor has the pipes of a Cathedral organ. He has the all-but impossible job of delivering the show's final measures of music, a solo reprise that comes after the title tune. Following the showstopper-to-end-all-showstoppers is an unenviable task, but Taylor makes it look effortless. He reaches the rafters and brings down the house.
Set designer Beowulf Boritt backs the cast with lavish, elaborate cityscapes and rehearsal rooms that are Broadway-worthy. And Roger Kirk's colorful, period costumes are just as good. Despite paying its cast non-Union wages, 42nd Street looks extremely expensive. That said, it's maddening to know that Troika is charging ticket prices in line with union shows, without paying its actors union wages. Especially given the fabulous job they're doing in bring the show to light.
42nd Street continues through March 20th at Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph (map). Tickets are $30-$85, and are available by phone (800-775-2000) or online at Ticketmaster.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at BroadwayInChicago.com. (Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, includes an intermission)
Lamont Brown (Andy Lee), Britte Steele (Maggie Jones), Steven Bidwell (Bert Barry), Carlos Morales (Mac, thug, doctor), Mallory Nolting (Phyllis), Vanessa Mitchell (Lorraine), Sarah Fagan (Diane), Natalia LePore Fagan (Annie), Blake Stadnik (Billy Lawlor), Caitlin Ehlinger (Peggy), Rob Ouellette (Rob), Matthew J. Taylor (Julian Marsh), Kaitlin Lawrence (Dorothy), Mark Fishback (Abner), DJ Canaday (Pat), Matthew Alexander (thug, ensemble), Stephanie Brooks , Tanner Outly (dance captains, swings), Emily Blake Anderson , Brittany Bigelow , Allison Blanchard, Molly Jean Blodgett, Taylor Burke, Mitchell Canfield, Joel Chambers , Kahlia Davis, Tricia DeSario, Lucia Foster , Kelly Gleason, Patrick Heffernan, Tommy Joscelyn, Brady Miller , Mandy Modic , Georgina Moore , Courtney Moran, Jocelyn Moss, Alicia Newcome , Michael Persson (ensemble) .
behind the scenes
Mark Bramble (director, co-author), Michael Stewart (co-author), Harry Warren (music), (lyrics), Gower Champion (original dances and choreography), Randy Skinner (musical staging and new choreography), Beowulf Boritt (set design), (costume design), Ken Billington (lighting design), Peter Fitzgerald (sound design), Jared Janas, Dave Bova (hair, wig and makeup design), Todd Ellison (music supervisor), J. Michael Duff (music director), Talitha Fehr (music coordinator), Kelli Barclay (associate choreographer), Adam Kidd (assistant director), (casting director), Donavan Dolan (production stage manager), Townsend Teague (general manager), Candace Hemphill (company manager), Randall Buck (producer, chief executive officer), Michael J. Orsino (chief operating officer), Donald Kindl (chief financial officer), Troika Entertainment (producter), Chris Bennion (photos)
Tags: 16-0321, Adam Kidd, Al Dubin, Alicia Newcome, Allison Blanchard, Beowulf Boritt, Blake Stadnik, Bradford Ropes, Brady Miller, Brittany Bigelow, Britte Steele, Broadway in Chicago, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Caitlin Ehlinger, Candace Hemphill, Carlos Morales, Catey Sullivan, Chicago musical theater, Chicago Theater, Chris Bennion, Courtney Moran, Dave Bova, DJ Canaday, Donald Kindl, Donavan Dolan, Emily Blake Anderson, Georgina Moore, Gower Champion, Harry Warren, J. Michael Duff, Jared Janas, Jocelyn Moss, Joel Chambers, Joy Dewing, Kahlia Davis, Kaitlin Lawrence, Kelli Barclay, Kelly Gleason, Ken Billington, Lamont Brown, Lucia Foster, Mallory Nolting, Mandy Modic, Mark Bramble, Mark Fishback, Matthew Alexander, Matthew J. Taylor, Michael J. Orsino, Michael Persson, Michael Stewart, Mitchell Canfield, Molly Jean Blodgett, Natalia LePore Fagan, Patrick Heffernan, Peter Fitzgerald, post, Randall Buck, Randy Skinner, Rob Ouellette, Roger Kirk, Sarah Fagan, Stephanie Brooks, Steven Bidwell, Talitha Fehr, Tanner Outly, Taylor Burke, Todd Ellison, Tommy Joscelyn, Townsend Teague, Tricia DeSario, Troika Entertainment, Vanessa Mitchell
Category: 2016 Reviews, Broadway in Chicago, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Catey Sullivan, Musical, National Tours, Video, YouTube