Theater Review: 42nd Street

   

                  Partial cast of Moonlight's "42nd Street"

You can’t help but “feel the beat of dancin’ feet” as you watch the huge cast and crew of Moonlight Stage Productions’ “42nd Street,” playing through Sept. 2 at Vista’s outdoor Moonlight Amphitheatre.

There’s a long history here, and this version is a jukebox musical that includes songs from the original 1933 film “42nd Street” as well as songs that composers Harry Warren and Al Dubin wrote for many other films at around the same time.

Never mind. It’s a tap-dancing extravaganza about director Julian Marsh (played by Patrick Cummings), hoping to save his Depression-era career after bankruptcy in the stock market.

Marsh puts together this flashy 150-minute show that features lots of pretty young women (and a few older, more experienced ones, to add story interest), and a group of wonderful male dancers for them to dance with.

The show did, according to the program notes, save Warner Brothers from bankruptcy.

It stars Emma Nossal and Ian Black as principal young leads Peggy Sawyer (a young wannabe professional dancer) and Billy Lawlor the tenor lead. Together, they will dance their way right into your heart.

Other subtexts feature Tracy Lore as middle-aged Dorothy Brock, the past-her-prime prima donna renowned for her inability to dance, and Bets Malone (one of my consistent favorites) as Maggie Jones, the co-writer and producer of the “Pretty Lady” show the gang is doing.

When the star of this show breaks her leg, the show gets canceled. Well, until our young wannabe star Peggy Sawyer gets her chance to save the show and everybody’s paycheck.

The cast is uniformly excellent, as are the orchestra and chorus ably led by Dr. Randi Rudolph. And the sets are terrific, often of the two-level variety well handled by the stagehands, who also deserve applause here.

You don’t see tap dancing much anymore, and if you’re not a fan, look for a show with more up-to-date story and more modern dance styles. My date got a little impatient with “all that tap,” but the audience seemed to love it, as did I.

The details

“42nd Street” plays through Sept. 2, 2023 at Moonlight Amphitheatre, Brengle Park, 1250 Vale Terrace Drive in Vista.

Shows at 8 p.m. Wed-Sun. nights 

Ticket prices: $18-63 with additional general lawn discounts for seniors, students and the military.

Tickets: (760) 724-2110 or moonlightstage.com 

Theater Review: Beetlejuice

As one could guess from just the title, this is not a traditional musical in any sense whatever. It is a loud, propulsive (and sometimes repulsive) showcase for a large cast that must be utterly exhausted after each show.

Why? Because they must interact, perform, sing, dance and do so with wildly crazy stagecraft that moves and “music” that mostly insults the ears with deafeningly noisy “songs” that quickly begin to sound alike, making its 2-hour, 40-minute length seem, well, too much.

But that’s the point. We’re talking about weirdos and ghosts, with a few “real” people (even a Girl Scout) tossed in just for laughs.

The star, Beetlejuice (played by Andrew Kober), is a ghost who works like a demon (ha!), jumping, dancing, singing and sometimes even disappearing. You have to hand it to a guy who can cavort around like that, be in virtually every scene, and still be standing at the end. And smiling, with that ghostly grimace.

Beetlejuice has a human (and living) daughter named Lydia (played by Isabella Esler), who just wants a normal life and maybe a boyfriend. But dad keeps getting in the way and trying to match her up with unsuitable (by her standards) guys. Ah, dads.

Will she get her way, or will he get in hers? Or maybe both? You’ll have to see it for yourself. It has its charms, but mostly, “Beetlejuice” is about noise, constant motion, and some pretty terrific dancing.

But watch out: you’ll be worn out yourself, from the overkill of all that noise and those blinking lights and yelling and screaming.

“Beetlejuice” plays through August 20 at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. 

Shows Aug. 17 at 7:30, Aug. 18 @ 8 p.m, Aug 19 at 2 and 8 p.m. and Aug 20 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

For tickets: https://www.eventticketscenter.com

 

Review will be posted Aug. 18.

Theater Review: Evita

“Evita” is a strange cat in the musical business. It began as a rock opera concept album with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice in 1976 and concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón.

Since then, it’s had several tours and numerous cast albums. Now it’s back and playing through October 1 at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town.  

This production, directed by Cygnet’s Artistic Director Sean Murray, features local favorite Berto Fernández as Juan Perón, but the rest of the major cast is new to this theater.

 A.J. Mendoza makes his Cygnet debut as Ché (though he is no stranger to the role), and gets a serious workout as the narrator of the story, in practically every scene.

Cygnet newbie Matthew Malecki Martinez plays Evita’s wannabe lover, tango singer-songwriter Agustín Magaldi.

Ariella Kvashny is also new to Cygnet and makes her debut as Evita, the little girl with big political ambitions.

The show jumps around in time and locale, so just sit back, relax and take it all as it comes. You’ll be much impressed by the presentation.

The story starts in 1934, when the 15-year-old Eva lives in the city of Junín but wants to seek a better life in Buenos Aires. She takes up with Agustín Magaldi after she meets him at one of his shows.

From there, Evita climbs the political ladder as quickly as she can, until she finally convinces Perón that “I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You.”

In 1946, Perón is elected president and they marry, but a few years later, Evita is taken ill and will soon die.

The cast is excellent, though I found Ariella Kvashny’s voice as Evita more grating to the ear than I’d have liked.

The show looks great, thanks to several people: Mathys Herbert’s fine dual-level scenic design; Blake McCarty’s stunning (and rapid) projection designs, and Zoë Trautmann’s excellent costumes.

The show features a lot of dancing, all terrifically choreographed by Carlos Mendoza.

And let’s not forget conductor/keyboardist Patrick Marion and his group of five fine musicians.

If you’ve never seen the show, here’s your chance. And if you have, you’ll like this production as well.

“Evita” plays through October 1, 2023 at Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs Street in Old Town.

Tickets: 619-337-1525 or boxoffice@cygnettheatre.com