Call it the battle of those dancing feet: Two acclaimed productions of “42nd Street” may soon go tap-to-tap for a shot at Broadway.
The splashy revival at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane won raves from everyone, including the Duchess of Cambridge. At least, Kate Middleton seemed to have a jolly time in the Royal Box on opening night.
Overseeing this “42nd Street” are two men who were involved in the Tony-winning 1980 production: director Mark Bramble, who co-wrote the script with Michael Stewart; and choreographer Randy Skinner, who assisted the great Gower Champion. The cast of 43 is led by Sheena Easton who, after her ’80s hit “Morning Train” and this show’s “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” seems to have cornered the market on songs set on railroad tracks.
After reading the Telegraph’s assessment (“An achingly beautiful revival”), I thought I’d be announcing a Broadway date for next season. (The show’s run has been extended to early 2019.) But as fast as you can say “We’re in the Money,” out comes another production, which Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones tells me is the best he’s ever seen.
Oddly, it’s playing the Drury Lane Theatre, only this one is in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.
Director Michael Heitzman has given this “42nd Street” a contemporary spin. Harry Warren and Al Dubin’s 1930s score has been infused with funk, jazz, percussion, a little hip-hop and some rock ’n’ roll, while the dancing is a slick combo of Busby Berkeley and Savion Glover.
“I’ve always loved the show,” Heitzman tells me, “but I wanted to take a new look at it. I’m trying to respect the past, but give it a modern twist. So we’ve stripped away all the big elements and added a modern, gritty feel.”
‘I’m trying to respect the past, but give it a modern twist. So we’ve stripped away all the big elements and added a modern, gritty feel.’
There are just 14 performers in the cast, a standout being Gene Weygandt as the ferocious producer who tells understudy Peggy Sawyer, “you’re going out a youngster but you’ve got to come back a star!”
The set consists of scaffolding set against crumbling old Times Square theaters. Choreographer Jared Grimes, whose sensational tap routine in 2013’s “After Midnight” stopped that show every night, blends traditional tap with street jazz.
Broadway producers who saw the Tribune’s rave this week are headed to Chicago to check out the show.
But the power here is Bramble, since he controls a big percentage of “42nd Street.” He’s planning to fly to Chicago in a few weeks to see Heitzman’s “42nd Street.”
“I hear it’s great,” he told me in an e-mail. “Wouldn’t it be swell to have a new interpretation?”