Capital Region Performance Gallery

Theatre Review

El Dorado Musical Theatre

42nd Street - Feb. 16-25, 2018

It was opening night for El Dorado Musical Theatre’s production of 42nd Street. Halfway through the first act, I wrote in my notes, “This scene is a work of art!” What could that mean? After all, this was a musical theatre production. What struck me was the way costumes, acting, staging, dancing, and singing fit together so perfectly to persuade the audience that they were looking at something real from the musical theatre world of 1933. Then halfway through the second act, I had seen so much that was so perfectly presented, I wrote, “This whole show isn’t just a work of art, it’s a masterpiece.”

It all began with the opening number. The curtain rose just 3 feel to reveal the legs and feet of the whole company tap dancing: it was a stunning effect and brought cheers from the audience. The wonderful tap dancing continued to be a highlight of the show, with frequent routines, each delightfully fresh. There was much more wonderful choreography — always a highlight of an El Dorado Musical Theatre show — Rockette-style lines with innovative features, and many elegant routines that I can’t characterize. And then there were a couple of numbers where tight choreography was broken up by clumsiness, which had to be incredibly difficult to pull off so believably.

I’ve attended every EDMT show for 6 years, and in each one their master innovator — Director/Choreographer Debbie Wilson — has shown me things I’ve never seen before. This time it was a line of girls singing on their stomachs a few feet from the audience, a pair of spotlights downstage pointed at the performer to create interesting shadow effects, extensive use of shadowed acting behind a scrim. But to enumerate the innovative, creative features doesn’t do them justice: the whole show was one dazzling sight after another. And it was all aided by the sophisticated projections, some animated and with multiple projectors, that gave scenes realistic settings that became effectively transparent to the audience.

The costumes were amazing: period-specific, elaborate, and colorful. To my mind, Costume Designer Karen McConnel is a wizard. There was one unforgettable scene where the young women were lined across the stage in silk gowns presenting more than a rainbow of colors: it was a visual feast. But what was so extraordinary to me, was the incredible frequency of costume changes — the activity backstage must have been frenetic, and I would be surprised if each performer had fewer than a dozen costume changes.

In a way, all that I’ve said to this point is just the “canvas” for this masterpiece of musical theatre. The “paint” is these wonderful young performers. Emily Fritz played a brilliant lead as Peggy Sawyer, the ingenue trying to make it on Broadway. Her singing and dancing were excellent, but what impressed me so much was her acting. She lived that part, bringing finesse and nuance that made it a pleasure to watch her work. And there’s Zach Wilson, a complete performer, who amid all the lightness of the action was in a serious role as director Julian Marsh. Having watched him in EDMT shows since he was a small child, tonight I saw a new dimension of his versatility, along with the great irony that, as one of EDMT’s best dancers, he was the one character who didn’t dance.

Kyra Schneider was another example of truly impressive acting. As Dorothy Brock, the pushy, egotistical star of the show-in-a-show, she insinuated and intimated with an upper-crust accent that fits our image of 1930s showbiz royalty. I want to go on and on about each of these young people. I saw one great performer after another, each overflowing with personality and with a confidence and ease that can only come from talent, conscientious rehearsing, and insightful directing.

This wonderful show is full of so many great, familiar songs (“We’re in the Money,” “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” etc. — and of course, “42nd Street.” Like the beautifully synchronous dancing, the ensemble singing was excellent, a tribute to new Vocal Director, Stephanie Milton. But individual singers were also outstanding. One doesn’t know what to expect from singers this young, but to complement his fine acting and dancing (and gymnastics!), Connor Ricketts’ singing was just extraordinary. And truly, every principal who had a singing part had a strong, clear voice that was pleasant to listen to. But more than good singing, I saw and heard song styling from singing actors who made their song an integral — sometimes moving, sometimes exhilarating — part of the show, and always full of personality.

There was one wonderful moment when newcomer and chorus member Peggy was being suggested as the one who could take over for the injured star, Dorothy. Could she learn all the lines, songs, and dances in the short time available? Then came the line: “Aw, she’s young. Kids can do anything.” When I heard this, I laughed out loud, but no one else around me seemed to get this perfect example of dramatic irony. I guess they forgot that they had been looking at kids for the past hour and a half. But they didn’t see kids: what they saw were great actors, great singers and great dancers, all aided by professional-quality directing, choreography, vocal training, and theater tech. That’s the magic of El Dorado Musical Theatre. As they say of themselves: “We don’t do kids’ theater. We do high-quality theater. It just happens to be with young people.”

Dick Frantzreb is past editor of the Sacramento Choral Calendar and co-founder and past President of the Sacramento Valley Choral Coalition. He currently edits the Placer Performance Calendar and the new Capital Region Performance Gallery.  He has been loving live performances in the greater Sacramento area and writing about them since 2012.