Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, Conn. Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble Lyrics by Al Dubin Music by Harry Warren Directed by Carl Andress
“Are the stars out tonight? I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright.”
What makes the Warner Brothers film “42nd Street” so wonderful is its nominal star, Ruby Keeler. She looks ordinary. Her talent is her dancing, a street form of tap dancing that is both awkward and amazing. She doesn’t sing very well, and her concept of romance is amazingly passive. But when she is picked to star in a new Broadway musical, she pulls herself together and amazes everyone with her talent. It takes time and hard work for her to pull it off, but she does it. What’s wrong with the Sharon Playhouse stage edition of this project is its nominal star, Gabi Stapula. She is gorgeous and dances brilliantly from her first tap to her last; she is utterly romantic and graceful, and we know she is the star from her first entrance. She has nowhere to go, no way to grow in her role. We wait two hours and 20 minutes for her stardom to kick in, and we sit there and wonder why. How, in this day and age, can so much be done wrong in a version of a classic that does it so well? How?
There are some delightful performances in this show. Maggie Jones and Bert Barry, played by Amy Wilson and Rudd Anderson, are great in their roles as the show within the show’s songwriter/performers. Michele Lemon’s Anytime Annie was almost as good as the film’s original, Ginger Rogers. Ian Black’s “juvenile” Billy Lawlor matches the movie’s Dick Powell. Even the show’s director, Julian Marsh, played by Michael F. McGuirk, was acceptable. These actors manage to escape the incessant mistakes this production inevitably makes. As the original star of the show they are rehearsing, “Pretty Lady,” Savannah Stevenson was over the top playing Dorothy Brock. Her boyfriend and former Vaudeville partner, Pat Denning, played by Landon Zwick, came off as far too young to qualify. The 37 cast members push their way through each musical number, and the whole company overacts as they attempt to be 1930s folks. After the company’s beautifully played previous show, “Swingtime Canteen,” I expected much better work from this theater. Stevenson was fine in her final scene with her replacement in the show, and if everything else had matched that performance, the show would have been perfect.
It is just, as I said, that the show pushes too hard and the leading lady has nowhere to go but sideways. There is no growth and no understanding of what an inexperienced player can manage under extreme pressure. The nine-piece band plays the score well under the direction of Eric Thomas Johnson; though the lack of even a single string instrument has altered the romantic sound of Harry Warren’s beautiful music. Amy Van Nostrand’s complex choreography is at the center of what is best in this show, and there is a lot of it.
The sets designed by Christopher and Justin Swader are beautifully done, as are the costumes created by Kathleen DeAngelis. Wheeler Moon’s lighting worked perfectly for the show, but Graham Stone’s sound design continually failed. Bobbie Zlotnik’s wig and make-up design seemed different from the photo provided above (Stapula, for example, was much brighter a blonde).
This musical is much better than its current conception. It is a shame that Andress’ sweet obsession with it allowed him to go overboard in so many ways.
“42nd Street” continues at the Sharon Playhouse, 49 Amenia Road, Sharon, CT, through August 9. For information and tickets, visit Sharon Playhouse’s website or call (860) 364-SHOW.