42nd Street - Review
Cast | Review | Act 1 Photos | Act 2 Photos
Making a Song and Dance about a Broadway Classic
Belfast's Great Victoria Street became Broadway's 42nd Street, courtesy of this amazingly talented and youthful company which brought the true spirit of musical theatre to town.
Capturing the very essence of the genre - entertaining escapism - this stunningly professional production by a so-called 'amateur' company could hold its own against any professional company.
It must be a strong contender for nominations and winners in this year's Awards by the Association of Irish Musical Societies, and is one of the best musicals I have seen this year.
To praise the good parts of this production would be to mention every element from direction, choreography, musical direction, lighting, sound, sets, costumes, singing, choral work, comic timing to acting.
To put it simply, this show has no weak points.
A show within a show, this classic backstage musical comedy offers a night of glitz, glamour and razzamatazz in the clichéd story of the young chorus girl who becomes a star.
When a young girl is told to "go out there a youngster and come back a star", it is very apt that she is played by 17-year-old Amy Harper in her principal debut.
For this talented all-rounder (one of few local performers who can sing, act and dance) lights up the stage better than any star ever could and is our best 'new find' for many years.
While this tap-dancing extravaganza throws up countless highlights with every big production number, the real highlight was the simple duet, About a Quarter to Nine, by Veronica Barr's fading star, Dorothy Brook, and Harper's rising star, Peggy Sawyer, because it reflects the core of the story and that of this company.
Just as musical theatre needs to hand the reins over to a younger generation to survive, so too do musical companies, which is exactly what this rejuvenated has managed so successfully in recent years.