Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 26, 1993 TAG: 9306260093
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KAREN L. DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Small wonder.
The musical comedy extravaganza set in the 1930s has all of the right elements for a true toe-tapping crowd-pleaser.
Nostalgia, romance, humor, dazzling song-and-dance numbers, glittering sets and a timeless backstage plot about instant stardom - "42nd Street" has it all.
And for Roanoke audiences, the show has one more draw - a homegrown actress who left Roanoke a youngster and came back a star.
Elizabeth Dressler plays the stage-struck Peggy Sawyer who sets out from her small hometown for the big city with the age-old dream of becoming a star. Peggy lands a chorus line job in a new musical and quickly learns what show business, on and off stage, is all about.
In some ways, Dressler's real-life journey into show business parallels Peggy's.
"I can relate. I've been through most of the things she's going through in the play," said Dressler, who graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1988 and headed straight for New York City.
Dressler received her first inspiration and early training in acting at Mill Mountain Theatre. As a youngster, she appeared in numerous productions. Now she returns to Mill Mountain's stage as a professional. And at Thursday's preview performance, she took her bows to a full-house standing ovation.
As neophyte Peggy, Dressler's plucky charm and appealing innocence are infectious. She instantly wins the audience's heart and later captures the attention of Julian Marsh (played by V Craig Heidenreich), a distinguished but fading director trying to make a comeback with a new musical, "Pretty Lady."
Heidenreich, blessed with good looks and a strong voice, gives Marsh a rough-edged, big-city charm, even as he's forced to hire aging prima donna Dorothy Brock as his leading lady so that her rich Texas lover can foot the bills for "Pretty Lady."
As the unlikable leading lady, Gail Benedict uses her hard-edged voice to bark insults at everyone, particularly Peggy, who runs afoul of her early on. But when the temperamental star breaks her ankle on opening night, Peggy must step out of the chorus line and into the spotlight to save the show.
"Lullaby of Broadway," the big show-stopper and plot-turning point, comes in the second act, shortly after Dorothy has broken her ankle and Julian must persuade Peggy to step in for her. He chases Peggy to the Broad Street train station, where she is on her way home, having abandoned her dreams of becoming a star. There on the station platform, he sings to her about the glories of Broadway. He is gradually joined by the full company, a few at a time, as they all beg Peggy to come back.
She agrees, of course, and has just 36 hours to rehearse as Julian tells her, "You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"
Vintage corn, but it works. It works because the tap routines are so energetic and opulent that you can't get bored. It also works because we all like to see dreams come true.
Benedict, who played the role of Peggy on Broadway, has choreographed the Mill Mountain show using Gower Champion's original tap dances from Broadway.
Champion, a famous musical director and choreographer perhaps best remembered for "Hello, Dolly" was, like the character Julian Marsh, making a comeback of sorts when he directed "42nd Street" on Broadway.
Champion died on the show's opening night. The announcement, made after the final curtain, is still remembered by stage veterans as one of the most stunning moments in theater history. "42nd Street," a remake of the 1930s movie, went on to become one of the longest-running productions on Broadway.
Among the most eye-catching routines are a silhouetted cast dancing to "Shadow Waltz" and a multi-tiered, alternately lighted dressing-rooms set that has the ensemble playing peek-a-boo to "Sunny Side to Every Situation."
"We're in the Money" also is a classy affair with chorus dancer Billy Lawlor (played by Kevin Berdini) and ensemble high-stepping in glitzy green-and-white costumes on oversized "silver coin" platforms.
If you're in need of about 2 1/2 hours worth of fun and entertainment, "42nd Street" delivers.
The show, directed by Ernest Zulia, continues at Center in the Square through July 18.
Mill Mountain Theatre's "42nd Street" is on the main stage at the Center in the Square, downtown Roanoke. 342-5740.
by CNB