Style, flair, prowess and principles

Based on the 1933 film by the same name, San Diego Music Theatre’s 42nd Street is a tap-dance extravaganza about the making of a Broadway show.

The entirety of the theater — in this case the grand Spreckels — is the show’s setting. The location changes around the audience as the company moves from theater to theater with their show Pretty Lady: starting in New York City for rehearsals, moving to Philadelphia to tryouts, and then transferring to Broadway.

Central to the plot are two women: Peggy Sawyer and Dorothy Brock. Sawyer has just arrived in NYC from Allentown, Pennsylvania, with dreams of dancing in a Broadway show. Brock, an established star, has worked her way up from vaudeville. The lives of these two women intersect in ways that will change their trajectories forever.

Laura Dickinson is dynamic as Dorothy Brock. As the seasoned starlet, Dickinson’s exceptional singing prowess commands the attention the character demands. Ashley Ruth Jones as Peggy Sawyer, the chorus girl who shines so brightly that everyone trusts in her ability to rise to the top, is entertaining but not commanding. When Sawyer finally comes front and center as the star, Jones blends often a bit too much into the crowd.

Robert J. Townsend orchestrates the show within the show as Broadway producer and director Julian Marsh. Townsend never fails to deliver with style and flair, even with a one-note character like the hotheaded Marsh. The supporting cast is rounded out with Gabriel Navarro as Billy Lawlor, Bets Malone as Maggie Jones, Todd Nielsen as Bert Barry, and Jill Townsend as Anytime Annie, all of whose powerful voices fill the theater. The entire company taps with precision and ease.

Directed by James Vasquez, this show is solid. Jill Gorrie’s dynamic choreography showcases the tapping talents of the company. The set is simple, primarily using the backstage of Spreckels Theatre as a backdrop for the playing space. It is whimsical and fun for audiences to see the usually hidden area of such a landmark theater.

42nd Street follows principles, chorus girls, producers, and playwrights — all of whom have to come together to make a show a hit, or else they will be out of the job. The urgency of secure employment is the most relevant element of an otherwise dated set of circumstances: dancers hoofing for $30 a week, threats of bread lines if they cannot keep up, blatant sexual harassment, and even the hiring of gangsters to “make someone scarce.” That said, timeless elements such as love, betrayal, misunderstandings, mixed messages, and of course spectacular dancing allow this show to keep contemporary audiences enthralled.

Playing through June 12