42nd St #2
OPENING: May 2nd, 2001
CLOSING: January 2nd, 2005.
Seen: August 4th, 2001
LOCATION: Ford Center for the Performing Arts
As I started to grow and become more educated when it came to Broadway history, it made my dad begin to reflect on shows that he had seen and really enjoyed. I can’t be certain, but I think he was on the lookout for shows he could take me to. So when 42nd Street came back to Broadway – there was no question about it: we were going.
Unlike most of the shows in his younger years, my dad remembered parts of this show that stuck with him for years after. That is not easy feat; it genuinely means he found them fantastic. And he had to share them with me, since sports didn’t work out as a father-daughter bonding activity.
My first impression when I flipped through the Playbill? This cast was huge. Like, really huge. I knew going in that it would be big, but…wow. There were thirty-six dancers in the ensemble. 36. Trente-six. Six and thirty. For anyone who has ever done a musical, you know how many people that truly is. I can only imagine what that dressing room situation looked and felt like.
And if my dad had any concern about me liking the show – he need not have worried. Just like Crazy For You, I was transported by the tap. It was absolutely glorious. Athletically beautiful. And you didn’t have to be six feet tall to do it. And there’s a bit of choreography to open that show that he was particularly excited to share with me. I won’t spoil it here, but it is so authentically 30’s that for a brief moment – we all forgot that it was 2001. It was like the Ford Center – now the Lyric – had become a time capsule.
The music of 42nd Street consists of standards from the 20s and 30s. In Morgana-Speak, that means there is not much substance to it. But what it lacks in depth it repays it tenfold in joy and fun. And let’s be honest – what’s better than being serenaded with “The Lullaby of Broadway” – when you yourself are in a seat on 43rd street?
Nothing, I tell you.
The original 1980 production was based on the 1933 film of the same name. When I was old enough to take trips to the mall on my own, I began collecting movie musical VHS’s (Don’t judge, it was the accepted format at the time). And right there was 42nd Street. After watching it, it is clear why it was destined to be a Broadway musical while other musical films of the time were not. It also has some choice lines – in particular, there is one expressing distress that Dorothy Brock breaks her ankle and not her neck.
The 2001 cast, while huge, had some real gems. Playing brand new show girl Peggy Fleming was a young lady by the name of Kate Levering. She has had a solid Broadway career, but is probably best known for her role of Kim Kaswell on the Lifetime show Drop Dead Diva. Broadway veterans Mary Testa, Megan Sikora, and Mylinda Hull played castmates of Peggy. Jonathan Freeman, the original voice of Jafar in Aladdin and later the stage musical, played writer Bert Barry. But perhaps most notable was Christine Ebersole as Dorothy Brock.
Ms. Ebersole started her career in New York. She did a single season of Saturday Night Live before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. When it started to stall, she came back to New York and was cast in 42nd Street – and won a Tony. Four years later, she won a second one for Grey Gardens. Since then, she has done countless more Broadway shows, movies, and TV appearances. She is the definition of a working Broadway professional.
I knew almost none of this, sitting in my seat. I did see that Shonn Wiley and Meredith Patterson made the jump from Crazy for You and were both dancing in that huge ensemble. That was cool. I enjoyed that.
My dad was really proud of himself that he was able to pull of bringing me to 42nd Street. And to this day, it’s still a show that he is proud of have taken me to. Did he know that I’d enjoy it as much as I did? Probably not.
But one thing was for certain: I really wanted to take tap. And so the following week – I got my first pair of tap shoes and started class a few weeks after that. And tap did end up being a source of joy – and something that has served me to this day.
CAST: REPLACEMENT
ADDITIONAL CREDITS:
SHADOW WALTZ DANCER: Joel Newsome
PEGGY’S HABIT DANCE PARTNER: Michael Malone
DAMES REHEARSAL DANCERS: Michael Clowers, Todd Lattimore, Michael Malone, Jonathan Taylor
42nd STREET BALLET SAILORS: Michael Clowers, Michael Malone
42nd STREET BALLET NIFTIES: Meredith Patterson, Megan Schenck
42nd STREET BALLET THIEF: Jonathan Taylor
ANDY LEE: Michael Arnold
MAGGIE JONES: Mary Testa
BERT BARRY: Jonathan Freeman
MAC: Allen Fitzpatrick
PHYLLIS: Catherine Wreford
LORRAINE: Megan Sikora
DIANE: Tamlyn Brooke Shusterman
ANNIE: Mylinda Hull
ETHEL: Amy Dolan
BILLY LAWLOR: David Elder
PEGGY SAWYER: Kate Levering
OSCAR: BILLY STRITCH
JULIAN MARSH: Michael Cumpsty
DOROTHY BROCK: Christine Ebersole
ABNER DILLON: Michael McCarty
PAT DENNING: Richard Muenz
WAITERS: Joel Newsome, Mike Warshaw, Shonn Wiley
THUGS: Allen Fitzpatrick, Jerry Tellier
DOCTOR: ALLEN FITZPATRICK
ENSEMBLE: Becky Berstler, Randy Bobish, Chris Clay, Michael Clowers, Maraym Myika Day, Alexander deJong, Amy Dolan, Isabelle Flachsmann, Jennifer Jones, Dontee Kiehn, Renee Klapmeyer, Jessica Kostival, Keirsten Kupiec, Todd Lattimore, Melissa Rae Mahon, Michael Malone, Jennifer Marquardt, Joel Newsome, Meredith Patterson, Darin Phelps, Wendy Rosoff, Megan Schenck, Kelly Sheehan, Tamlyn Brooke Shusterman, Megan Sikora, Jennifer Stetor, Erin Stoddard, Yasuko Tamaki, Jonathan Taylor, Jerry Tellier, Elisa Van Duyne, Erika Vaughn, Mike Warshaw, Merrill West, Shonn Wiley, Catherine Wreford
STANDBY FOR DOROTHY BROCK AND MAGGIE JONES: Beth Leavel
UNDERSTUDIES: Jessica Kostival (Dorothy Brock); Richard Muenz (Julian Marsh); Jerry Tellier (Julian Marsh, Bert Barry, Pat Denning); Meredith Patterson (Peggy Sawyer); Erin Stoddard (Peggy Sawyer, Lorraine); Amy Dolan (Maggie Jones, Annie); Joel Newsome (Bert Barry, Andy Lee); Todd Latimore (Billy Lawlor); Shonn Wily (Billy Lawler); Allen Fitzpatrick (Pat Denning, Abner Dillon); Randy Bobish (Andy Lee); Becky Berstler (Annie); Wendy Rosoff (Lorraine); Melissa Giattino (Phyllis); Elisa Van Duyne (Phyllis); Darin Phelps (Mac, Doctor, Thug); Luke Walrath (Mac, Doctor, Thug); and Renee Klapmeyer (Diane).
SWINGS: Kelli Barclay, Sara Brians, Melissa Giattino, Brian J. Marcum, Luke Walrath.
PARTIAL SWINGS: Becky Berstler, Elisa Van Duyne, Merrill West.
ChristineEbersole.Com. “Bio”. Accessed September 28, 2025. https://www.christine-ebersole.com/bio
Playbill.com. “Ford Center Of the Performing Arts”. Accessed September 28, 2025. https://playbill.com/venue/ford-center-for-the-performing-arts-vault-0000000140
