THEATER REVIEW : ‘42nd Street’ Kicks Up New Enthusiasm in Revival Show : The tap-dancing ensemble is the real star of the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera production.

If anything could be called a signature piece for the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera, it would have to be “42nd Street,” that glitzy 1980 Broadway homage to the musicals of the Busby Berkeley era.

In 1989, its first production of “42nd Street” set new standards of quality for the company with visual flair, lavish costumes and wall-to-wall production numbers.

So when the company decided to revive a past production as an additional offering for its 10th anniversary season, guess which one they picked?

Smart choice. The show is even better this time around.

Signs of the company’s increased professionalism abound, starting with the presence of eight Equity performers (up from four) in the principal roles.

Cathy Wydner steps into the leading tap shoes as Peggy Sawyer, the talented unknown from the chorus who saves the day when the star breaks her leg. Wydner, who played the role on Broadway, is clearly no ingenue--which only increases her credibility.

Her Peggy has obviously put in some stage time in her Allentown hometown before trying out for Broadway, and her superb dancing skills are easier to believe as a result.

Peggy’s initial awkwardness is an endearing counterpoint to Don Stewart’s gruff, hard-driving portrayal of producer Julian Marsh, whose Depression-era cynicism barely conceals the attention-craving kid who just wants to get out there and put on a show.

Surrounding this well-matched couple are the idealized denizens of the Broadway scene--notably a prima donna actress (Joy Claussen), a tough-talking hoofer (Karyn Overstreet), a likable leading man (Reece Holland) and a wise-cracking comic (Jae Ross).

But the real star of any “42nd Street” is the ensemble, showcased from the opening moments when the curtain rises just enough to reveal 30 pairs of dancing feet.

Virtually every one of the show’s classic Harry Warren-Al Dubin show tunes involves some fanciful use of the chorus, which wields giant metal coins for “We’re in the Money,” plays off its enlarged projections in “Shadow Waltz” and frolics in railroad bunks as members “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.”

Once again guiding them through this inspired if grueling lunacy is director / choreographer Jon Engstrom, who was part of the late Gower Champion’s original Broadway production and worked miracles for the Santa Barbara company’s first “42nd Street” staging, as well as for “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Guys and Dolls” and “No, No Nanette.”

No one succeeds like Engstrom in forging a professional dancing machine out of an amateur ensemble: The precision tap steps here earn every bit of the spontaneous applause that tends to erupt well before a number’s close.

Details

* WHAT: “42nd Street.”

* WHEN: Through March 12, 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; matinees at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

* WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1216 State St., Santa Barbara.

* HOW MUCH: $24.50 to $32.50.

* CALL: (800) 366-6064.