42nd Street - Review

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London


*****


Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble
Directed by Mark Bramble

Clare Halse leads the 42nd Street company

Revisiting 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane – and it still remains the finest spectacle of dance to be found in the West End.

Lulu takes over the role of Dorothy Brock, crock, from Sheena Easton – and the show displays one of those rare moments of art imitating life. Wikipedia may disclose Lulu’s age but this review will not. Suffice to say that her days of being a chart-topping pop star were many decades ago – and indeed her last venture onto a West End stage was back in the ‘80s. But actually, that’s what Dorothy Brock is all about. She’s a faded star, long past her best. Lulu’s vocal magic may have slightly faded, but she still has star quality by the bucket load, alongwith a name that’s recognised on both sides of the Atlantic. Producers, Michaels Grade and Linnit are no fools – Lulu will put bums on seats.

And then, of course, there’s that 50-strong(!) company wowing the crowds with their dance. Ashley Day takes over as Billy Lawlor, but while Lulu may top the bill, it is unquestionably Clare Halse as Peggy Sawyer who leads the show, with tap-dancing feet that become a blur of brilliance.

42nd Street was fabulous when it opened a year ago. It still is.

You can read my original review from 2017 here.

Booking until 20th October

I'll Bring You A Song

****

This review first appeared on The Public Reviews

I'll Bring You A Song is Shona White's album that was first released in 2011. A compilation of mainly show tunes some well known, some less recognisable but the common theme is a pleasing treatment of each number, combined with a commitment to solid production values from this evidently talented trouper.

White opens with the over-familiar Take That Look Off Your Face from Don Black / Lloyd Webber. What's rather appealing however, is that her take on this classic piece of lift music is attractively engineered, whilst the crystal clarity of White's diction and annunciation revealed lyrics that had hitherto been lost to me. Sat in an airport lounge listening to the album, it was a genuine surprise to discover words in the song that previous recordings had simply blurred. Stephen Schwartz's As Long As Your Mine offers Daniel Boys a chance to accompany as Fiyero, in a big song that demands a similar sized treatment. Together with strong keyboards and a sound that suggests modestly lavish orchestrations, White works the Wicked words with the satisfying verve they deserve.

Dipping into the 1960s with Dusty Springfield's top ten hit I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten, proves a real treat from White. This is a rock ballad heard all too rarely and the deceptively fine acoustic guitar intro that leads straight into a cracking electric guitar riff makes for a welcome trip back through the years. White clearly has a fondness for the decade for with To Sir, With Love, she provides a lovely take on Lulu's 1967 song that holds the curious distinction of being the only song ever that reached #1 in the USA, whilst not even charting on this side of the pond. 

Nobody's Side from Chess is another big female solo that White confidently masters. Perhaps on this track the backing singers could have been dispensed with, as they add a slightly cliched air to the number.

White wraps up her collection with How 'Bout A Dance, another Don Black composition (music by Frank Wildhorn) from the short-lived Broadway run of Bonnie & Clyde. It's a little known song, bluesy, that gives the singer a fabulous opportunity to play with and deliver the romantic irony that the lyrics suggest.

This is an enchanting if eclectic set of songs. Shona White confirms her reputation as one of today's more finely voiced musical theatre actresses with a recording that is one of the most charming easy-listening collections to be found.