42nd Street Review

“Drenched in glittering nostalgia about the golden age of Broadway”

As one of the oldest and longest-running stage musicals from Broadway, 42nd Street continues to live up to the high expectations held by its audiences.

Drenched in glittering nostalgia about the golden age of Broadway, it tells the story of how budding star Peggy Sawyer (Jessica Punch) beat the odds by going from chorus girl to unlikely leading lady in the fictional 1930’s stage production Pretty Lady.
Punch was an absolute delight to watch from the start, portraying the goofily charming Sawyer with such ease and professionalism that she actually managed to outshine stage veterans Marti Webb and Dave Willetts (both of whom brought some classic grandeur to proceedings), mirroring what her character does in the story.

Whilst the first act was entertaining overall, the set initially lacked the striking pizazz it deserved and some of the ensemble cast were noticeably out-of-sync during the early dance numbers which proved to be slightly distracting to watch. However, any shortcomings were quickly made up for by the lead performers who consistently delivered performances so sleek and flawless that they instantly proved themselves to be worthy of their leading roles.

Act Two was significantly more striking visually, with the director clearly utilising the size of The Playhouse stage better. One scene, set in a train station at night, was staged so well that it really added value to the production. ‘We’re In The Money’ and ‘42nd Street’ proved to be the toe-tapping winners of the night, with the large-scale cast coming together to perform an incredible and frenzied tap dancing routine on illuminated steps for the latter, suggesting that after all these years, 42nd Street has definitely still got it.

42nd Street is on at The Playhouse in Edinburgh until Saturday 10th November. To buy tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com