42nd Street Tickets

About the Show:

42nd Street is a musical, based on the Bradford Ropes novel and subsequent 1933 film of the same name, about the quest of a director to mount a successful Broadway musical at the height of the Great Depression and the lives of the cast and crew as they deal with love, pride, and show business. It has music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, and a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. Memorable songs from the show include "Audition," "I Only Have Eyes For You," "We're in the Money," and "Lullaby of Broadway."

42nd Street opened on Broadway on August 25, 1980 after an out-of-town tryout at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center. It ran for an astounding 3,486 performances, and featured such performers as Tammy Grimes (Private Lives, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) and Karen Ziemba (A Chorus Line, Curtains) during its run. In 2001, a successful revival was mounted starring Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens, Oklahoma!), who won a Tony Award for her performance as Dorothy. It ran for an impressive 1,524 performances and eventually featured the talents of Tom Wopat (Annie Get Your Gun, Catch Me If You Can), Shirley Jones (TV's The Partridge Family, 1956 film Carousel), and Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone, Baby It's You!). Pick up some 42nd Street tickets now to see this classic hit show performed live!

Plot Synopsis:

Fresh-faced, young performer Peggy Sawyer arrives in New York City from her hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania just as auditions for 1933's newest show, Pretty Lady, are ending. Billy Lawlor, one of the show's leads, hopes to charm her into a date by saying that he can get her in for an audition, but choreographer Andy Lee loses his patience and declines. Distraught, Peggy runs off and bumps directly into director Julian Marsh. Later, Dorothy Brock, once a huge star, complains about having to audition for a role, and Julian reluctantly agrees to cast her (despite her reputation as a prima donna) to get financial backing from her wealthy boyfriend, Abner Dillon.

Outside the theatre, writer Maggie and chorus girls Annie, Phyllis, and Lorraine feel sorry for Peggy and take her out to lunch. She shows them a dance routine while Julian, love-struck, watches from afar and decides that she should join the show. At a pre-production party, Julian learns that Dorothy is cheating on Abner with old boyfriend Pat Denning, and he worries that this could threaten the show's future. He calls a couple of thugs to get Pat to back off before the cast goes to Philadelphia for the out-of-town tryout. On opening night, Peggy accidentally trips and knocks Dorothy down, and Julian fires her immediately.

When Dorothy's ankle turns out to be broken, the show faces closure, but at the urging of the chorus girls, Julian decides to let Peggy use her considerable skills to fill in. He catches her at the train station and apologizes, but she refuses the role, insisting that she is sick of show business. When the rest of the cast arrives to encourage her, she accepts. Peggy has gotten the break of her life, but with just two days to learn the part, will she be able to handle the demands of the show? Order your 42nd Street tickets to find out!

Awards:

• 1981 Tony Awards: 8 nominations, 2 wins
• 1981 Drama Desk Awards: 4 nominations, 2 wins
• 1984 Olivier Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
• 2001 Tony Awards: 9 nominations, 2 wins
• 2001 Drama Desk Awards: 5 nominations, 1 win
• and more...

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