Review: Village Theatre's '42nd Street' lights up the stage

Bright, bouncy and buoyant!

"42nd Street" is the quintessential Broadway tap-dance musical, a praise song to the genre itself. And Village Theatre has done everything right, brilliantly capturing Broadway's magic here in Issaquah.

The story's a familiar one. An innocent with stardust in her eyes comes to New York to make her mark on the Great White Way. Somehow, she not only lands a spot in the chorus line of a new musical, but she ends up as the star.

It gives the audience an insider's view of musical theater. There are the jealousies, the egos, the frenzy to get it all together, the esprit de corps, the exhausting work, the out-of-town tryout, and, of course, the dreams and the heartbreak.

Yet the story is but part of the evening's fun. This is a dance spectacular with a company that has mastered every buck and wing, every tap and shuffle, every glide. Director Steve Tomkins, who also choreographed this production with Kristin Culp, has molded his cast into a perfectly synchronized ensemble that provides us with dazzling numbers.

Costumes are opulent, stagecraft is sophisticated and the music, under the direction of Tim Symons and Bruce Monroe, will set you toe-tapping in your seat. It includes such old favorites as "We're in the Money," "Lullaby of Broadway" and that dreamy "I Only Have Eyes For You."

Seattle actors Krystle Armstrong, John Bogar, Shelly Burch, Leslie Law and James Scheider play leading roles. They and the entire cast sing with passion and dance with brio.

The show began as a 1933 movie, was adapted as a stage musical in 1980 and ran for nearly nine years on Broadway. It was revived to raves in 2001. And here we are with a stunning local production.

Fortunately, after it closes in Issaquah, the show moves to the Everett Performing Arts Center, where it will play until Aug. 1.

Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net