David Ian for Crossroads Live and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions have announced the tour dates for Curve and Sadler’s Wells’ major new production of classic backstage musical comedy 42nd Street.
As previously announced, the highly anticipated production will open at Leicester Curve on 17 May 2023 (until 3 June 2023) ahead of a season at Sadler’s Wells in London from 7 June until 2 July 2023.
The production will then embark on a UK tour visiting Canterbury, Leeds, Bristol, Plymouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Manchester, Southampton, Newcastle, Woking and Belfast. Further dates will be added to the schedule.
Director Jonathan Church (Singin’ in the Rain, The Drifters Girl) leads a creative team that also includes Olivier Award-winning choreographer Bill Deamer (Top Hat) and Olivier Award nominee designer Rob Jones (City of Angels). Casting and the full creative team will be unveiled at a later date.
Based on the 1932 novel by Bradford Ropes and the 1933 Warner Brothers’ film musical, 42nd Street is one of the most popular song and dance shows of all time. Debuting on Broadway in 1980, the musical has a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin. The original Tony Award-winning production was directed and choreographed by Gower Champion and produced by David Merrick.
Featuring musical theatre standards including ‘We’re in the Money’, ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’ and the title song, the show tells the story of the chorus girl who steps into the spotlight when the leading lady is injured and becomes a star.
The show’s West End debut run in 1984 was notable for a moment of ‘life imitating art’ when a teenage actress in the chorus called Catherine Zeta Jones stepped into the leading role of starlet Peggy Sawyer after the actress cast in the role and her understudy were unavailable due to a combination of injury and holiday.
Angela Thomas