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42nd Street
Presented by: The Production Company
Venue:
The State Theatre, The Arts
Centre
Reviewer: Simon Parris
Date Reviewed: 4th October, 2007
The
Production Company have finished their ninth year of business with a
glamorous, highly entertaining production of the quintessential
backstage musical 42nd St. Wisely waiting until they had
the necessary resources and rehearsal time has allowed TPC to stage
their most ambitious project to date with lavish costumes and
thrilling dancing.
Without relying on a particular star name, Director Terence
O’Connell has assembled a talented ensemble of actors who bring the
colourful characters to life. The show moves at a cracking pace and
all the gags are clearly delivered to their full effect.
 Peter
Casey leads Orchestra Victoria in a sparkling rendition of the
classic score. The sound design served the orchestra well,
particularly the percussion and banjo. The singers, particularly the
girls, were well directed in singing in a period style of voice.
The
real stars of 42nd St of course are the dancers and it is
very pleasing to note that this is surely the most fully realised
choreography that TPC have presented. With the already large cast
expanded with extra dancers for key production numbers, the stage
was frequently filled to capacity.
Choreographer Alana Scanlan has done a brilliant job in staging so
many numbers in such a short rehearsal time, wisely keeping the
moves somewhat simple but incredibly effective and always true to
the storytelling of the show. The dancing was extremely tight and
energetic, and the clever choreography helped the audience forget
that there were no coins used in We’re in the Money and no train set
in Shuffle Off to Buffalo. One disappointment was the absence of the
Act 2 opener: Sunny Side to Every Situation.
 Lucy
Durack has further enhanced her star status with a glowing portrayal
of Peggy Sawyer. Breathless and always twinkling, Durack was the
heart of the show. She was a joy to watch and her dancing was a
delight. Durack shared great chemistry with perennial TPC favourite
Adam Murphy as Julian Marsh. Despite not quite being in full voice,
and being a little young and handsome for the role, Murphy
nonetheless commanded the stage and projected a physicality that
suggested Marsh had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Nicki
Wendt was an absolute joy as Dorothy Brock. Her fully realised
performance included the biting wit and droll sarcasm of Miss Brock
the star as well as the underlying insecurities and eventual
happiness of Dorothy the woman. Her 11th hour dressing
room scene with Peggy was all the more joyous for the transformation
Dorothy had made from dragon lady to mentor.
Thern
Reynolds was a bundle of energy as Billy Lawlor, bringing so much
extra pizzazz to all the dance numbers he was in. Christopher Horsey
also showed great tapping skill as Andy Lee. Melissa Langton brought
her usual great comic timing and verve to the role of Maggie.
Anthony Koutoufides was a surprise guest star and acquitted himself
admirably in his musical theatre debut.
 As
well as being known for its fabulous dance numbers, 42nd
St is also known as a highly technical show. For this short season,
expensive sets were replaced with a few wisely used set pieces,
cleverly designed by Kathryn Sproul. What was lacking in sets was
made up for in the dazzling costumes. Unlike earlier productions
were designers have seemed to have to make do with whatever they can
find, Kim Bishop has fully designed the costumes and has seen this
design completely realised in every scene. The majority of the show
is fashioned in stunning blacks, whites and greys, with Peggy’s
lucky yellow scarf the sole splash of colour. When colour finally
bursts forth in the Forty Second Street number form Pretty Lady, the
dark reds, greens and purples add to the effect of what is already a
dazzling and thrilling number.
With
a season that was reportedly sold out before opening, the best
advice at this stage is to look forward to The Production Company’s
return for their tenth year and get your hands on subscription seats
if you are lucky enough to do so.
Simon has appeared in more than 30 productions over the past twenty
years. Recent roles include Eugene Fodor in Crazy for You (Whitehorse)
and Mr Fox in Mack and Mabel (CLOC). Other favourite roles include
Max in The Sound of Music, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Julio in Paint
Your Wagon, Marcellus in The Music Man and Grantaire in Les
Miserables. In 2005, Simon was nominated for a Guild Award in the
category Best Cameo Performance for his role as the Judge in Hello,
Dolly! (Whitehorse).
He is also a keen audience member, having seen over 50 shows in five
weeks on a recent trip to
New York
and
London.
Simon is currently in rehearsals for Catchment’s The Wizard of Oz,
in which he is playing Uncle Henry/Guard of the Gate. Simon has
served on the Music Theatre Guild of
Victoria
Committee for three years, and is currently Treasurer.
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