42nd Street

Disclaimer: Please note that these are just my personal opinions, I’m not a reviewer, I’m just a guy who does some theatre and likes going to see local shows. … Don’t worry though, I loved the show!! I was very lucky to secure tickets to see the opening performance last night as I'm told these "classic" shows by WAAPA are very sought after and always seem to sell out fast. Now I know why. My first experience in seeing a WAAPA show was a few months ago in the intimate Round Theatre for “Rent” where I went away a little under whelmed overall (stand outs were Mimi, Tom, Angel, Joanne and Kira in the chorus). So I was a little hesitant seeing another show I’d only heard of but never seen (nor, as it turns out for this one, ever heard any of the songs). … I thought it was great!! The dancing! The singing! The band! The sound! The costumes! The sets! Bloody brilliant! From the opening number, which reminded me of "A Chorus Line" (yes, I only just saw that show for the first time a few months ago as well), the energy and skill from the entire cast had me hooked and eager to see what would happen next. I thought the dancing throughout was great, I’m not a dancer myself, nor do I know anything about choreography, all I can say is I was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed the dynamics of the tapping and how it showcased how great the entire cast was! One of the first things I noticed was the accents, they all sounded perfect to me. Throughout the rest of the show I did not once pick up any faltering or slips. Coupled with mic’s that weren’t distorting and were levelled correctly with the band and chorus I was very impressed by the fact that the audio was seamlessly incorporated and unnoticed, as it should be! Big congratulations on everyone involved on the sound side of things! Now I’m not sure if this was in the script or whatever, but the whole section with the white scrim, the two spots, the shadow puppetry (gold Dorothy, gold!) and the dancing behind was fantastic! I was not expecting it, it was different, but it still fit in. Like sound, lighting's obviously an important part of the overall production and I thought the lighting guys did a great job, from the rehearsal, shadow and dressing room scenes to the street, show within a show and lit signs, again it was seamless and well done. Ok, what else was good before I get to the individual performances… Ummm… Sets and set changes! One of the stand out scenes was the café. The set danced on, placed perfectly, was used momentarily and then danced off, fantastic! Again, the set changes were seamless and I think the most we ever had to wait for a change was about 5 seconds in total. This made for a very fast flowing show which kept us constantly engaged and didn’t distract us. Particularly impressive was the rotating arch and the staircases. So I realise this is getting quite long so let me summarise by saying that I thought the show was great, I’d never seen or heard and of it before but I’d want to go and see it again! The only thing that I felt detracted at all from this show was one of the castings. Ok, so on with the performances. Having never seen any version of this show I thought everyone’s performances were great, stand outs were Julian, Peggy, Dorothy, Maggie, Andy and the trio of chorus girls! (Sorry for not putting in real names I don’t have a copy of the programme with me) Julian: I thought he had great characterisation, an excellent presence and a great voice. I thought the greeting/kissing rehearsal scene and final exit of show were highlights. He was a stand out in “Rent” and even better in this. I want to be as good as him! *grin* Peggy: Of course we fell in love with her… Cute, endearing, innocent, very well played! I thought the greeting/kissing rehearsal scene and the train station were her highlights. Very impressive singing and dancing, it was a pleasure to watch her … but then again, I think that was the idea! Dorothy: There I was expecting the Prima Donna from Phantom with the deliberate off key singing, but no, none of that, she had a fantastic voice and was very believable as a seasoned professional. Played very well so that we disliked her yet saw some actual depth of character in the “About a Quarter To Nine” scene. Her spotlight scene showed where she was most comfortable, very believable characterisation, very well done! Maggie: I was so glad to see Kira out of the chorus, where she stood out in “Rent”, and into a lead again. She had a perfect accent and very believable characterisation, an always impressive singing voice and a sassy presence on stage. One of the stand outs! Andy: His energy and authority in the opening scene helped set the pace and expectation for the rest of the show, great dancing and a definite stand out. Trio of Chorus Girls: Reminding me a little of the Silly Girls in “Beauty and the Beast” at times, these three were thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Excellent characterisation, great singing voices which worked well together in that style and some excellent choreography for their exits made them very memorable. Billy: Fantastic dancer, wow those tap solos! Definitely a leading choice there! I remember him as Angel in “Rent” where his natural flamboyance and energy shone. In this however I was confused by his characters motivations and actions right from the start. I didn’t feel there was an actual attraction from him for Peggy. It really felt awkward and forced. And this was my only fault with the entire show that the relationship between Peggy and Billy was not at all believable. I think maybe this was a casting compromise to get the best lead male dancer. Unfortunately it was rather distracting and made it a bit confusing to watch for a first time viewer especially when it seemed that was one of the major side plot lines. Aside from that he was bloody great! Abner: Played the role very well, made him seem like an innocent in love as well, a sympathetic character. Quite enjoyable. Pat: Pat and Dorothy worked well together and the attraction was believable just like Peggy and Julian. Again, good characterisation, we were able to follow the subtleties of their relationship including him standing up for himself and making Dorothy come find him. Very well done. General Chorus: The biggest stand out for me was the Burglar! Those two side flips things (I’m sure there’s a name for it but I’m naïve in that regard) and his movements were gold! The rest of the chorus were amazing dancers and singers, no problems hearing them and no hesitation on timing. A pleasure to watch! So, all in all, I really enjoyed the show, if there were tickets still available I would recommend getting them! So beg, borrow or steal them! Congratulations to all the cast and crew for an incredible show which would have been worthy of being put on at Burswood! Hope you all have a great run! Matt.