42nd Street (musical)
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| 42nd Street (musical) | |
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| Name | 42nd Street |
| Music | Harry Warren |
| Lyrics | Al Dubin |
| Book | Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble |
| Basis | 1933 film 42nd Street by David O. Selznick and Darryl F. Zanuck |
| Premiere date | August 25, 1980 |
| Premiere location | Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut |
| Productions | Broadway (1980), West End (1984), tours |
42nd Street (musical) is a 1980 Broadway musical with music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, and a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, adapted from the 1933 film produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and David O. Selznick. The show, which reintroduced songs from the Tin Pan Alley and MGM Hollywood era, opened at the Winter Garden Theatre and became noted for its choreography derived from the work of Busby Berkeley and the staging traditions of Broadway theatre, the Tony Award system, and the commercial revival of American musical theatre in the late 20th century.
Background and Development
The musical's development drew on the careers and catalogs of Harry Warren and Al Dubin, whose songs had been popularized in films by Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; producers sought to translate the cinematic spectacle of Busby Berkeley routines into live theatrical choreography inspired by Gower Champion, Bob Fosse, and historical revue traditions from venues such as the Ziegfeld Theatre and Radio City Music Hall. Conceptual work involved adapters connected to Goodspeed Opera House, Harold Prince-era production values, and the commercial producing strategies of figures associated with Chrysalis Records-era packaging and the Theatre Development Fund's interests in revivals. The book by Stewart and Bramble synthesized narrative elements from the original screenplay credited to Ruth Roland and studio records of Warner Bros. Pictures casting and scheduling practices, while choreography concentrated on ensemble technique indebted to Berkeley's kaleidoscopic camerawork and staging innovations used by Kit Kat Club revue creators.
Productions and Staging History
The premiere production played at Goodspeed Opera House before transferring to the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in 1980 with direction and choreography by Gower Champion, who had a career spanning productions like Hello, Dolly! and collaborations with Carol Channing. The Broadway run won multiple Tony Awards and established long-running revivals and national tours managed by producers connected to David Merrick-style promotion and Nederlander Organization presentation. A West End production opened in 1984 in London at a theatre associated with Cambridge Theatre management, while subsequent international stagings reached Tokyo, Paris, and regional houses in Chicago and Los Angeles. Revivals and touring productions frequently praised original staging elements and maintained the show's large ensemble traditions as seen in major revivals of Oklahoma! and The King and I, and licensing has been handled by organizations akin to Music Theatre International and the theatrical rights strategies used by R&H Theatricals.
Synopsis
Set in 1933, the plot follows an aspiring chorus girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania who goes to New York City and earns a spot in a Broadway-bound show produced by a hard-nosed impresario and directed by a temperamental stage director. The storyline intertwines backstage maneuvering, romantic subplots involving a young composer and a leading lady, and the show-within-a-show device culminating in a climactic opening-night performance at a Manhattan theatre reminiscent of the Winter Garden Theatre and the historical Times Square entertainment district. Themes reflect Depression-era entertainment economies, star-making machinery like the studio systems of MGM and Warner Bros., and the resilience narratives found in contemporary works staged during the Great Depression.
Musical Numbers
The score comprises songs by Warren and Dubin drawn from 1930s film musicals, including big production numbers and intimate scenes. Notable songs include numbers originally associated with film stars and studio choreography; the musical arranges these into transitional sequences, ensemble showstoppers, and character solos that mirror the structure of classical American musical comedy, similar in function to set pieces from Annie Get Your Gun and Show Boat. Choreography-heavy finales echo the spectacle of Gold Diggers of 1933 and the revue tradition exemplified by performers from Ziegfeld Follies.
Cast and Characters
Principal roles in the original production included a chorus girl protagonist, a seasoned leading lady, a hard-driving director, and an ambitious producer—roles that have been portrayed by performers with careers intersecting with Broadway revival circuits, Oscar- and Tony-associated actors, and triple-threats from institutions like Juilliard and The Actors Studio. The ensemble, typically large, requires dancers schooled in jazz and tap traditions traceable to artists such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and stage practitioners tied to the lineage of Busby Berkeley and Agnes de Mille.
Reception and Legacy
Critics compared the production values and choreography to landmark works of American musical theatre, and major awards bodies, including the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards, recognized its contributions to choreography, direction, and revival-era commercial theatre. The show's long-running Broadway success influenced subsequent jukebox and historical revivals, affected licensing practices used by regional theatres and touring companies, and contributed to the preservationist interest in adapting cinematic musical repertoires for the stage, a trend paralleled by revivals of My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls. Its aesthetic and commercial model informed late-20th-century productions and educational programming at institutions like New York University and conservatories training performers for the Broadway system.