Embraceable Youths

The big question swirling around the old chestnut of a backstage musical, “42nd Street,” is whether chorus girl Peggy Sawyer can take over the lead role in Broadway-bound “Pretty Lady” after star Dorothy Brock suffers a broken ankle. Bert, one of the show’s writers, stands tall and declares, “Peggy’s young! Kids can do anything!”

That could be the motto of the Fullerton Children’s Repertory Theatre revival of the show, now at the Fullerton High School Little Theater. Under Alberta Strey and Vicki Schindele’s direction, alternating casts of mostly 12- to 14-year-olds seem prepared to do just about anything in a musical that is objectively way beyond their years. Bert might be right.

Last Saturday’s matinee cast was led by perky Sydney Benner as Peggy, gruffly serious Ryan Fessler as Broadway mogul Julian Marsh, amazingly sultry Shelly Dias as Dorothy and all-American-looking Michael Jablonski as Peggy’s pal Pat.

Can the kids tap-dance? This show is still the ultimate musical showcase of tap, and the boys and girls do not fail--even if they’re often uneven in a group line. Some, like Benner, display exceptional footwork, from such early numbers as “Young and Healthy” to the finale.

Can the kids sing? Like any amateur company, yes and no. Dias pulls off some disarmingly adult moves and sounds in her star turns, and Brittany Peltier as chorus girl Annie nicely leads her group in “We’re in the Money” and “There’s a Sunny Side to Ev’ry Situation.”

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Benner and Fessler display firm stage confidence but need work in the vocal department--both are sometimes drowned out by an eight-piece band led by Schindele on keyboards.

Can the kids pull off playing Depression-era, cynical New Yorkers? Inevitably, there’s the sense of youngsters playing dress-up, but with some suspension of disbelief, you can imagine the era--aided in no small part by Ed Huber and Robert Wilson’s Art Deco set.

Benner expresses both the struggle and gumption of a young woman bucking the odds, contrasted by Dias’ underplayed tone of world-weariness.

They’re surrounded by some unintentionally comic miscastings (little kids playing gangsters and doctors is not what this show needs), but there’s a trouper element in this group that’s easy to embrace.

BE THERE

“42nd Street,” Fullerton High School Little Theater, 201 E. Chapman Ave. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $7. Ends Saturday. (714) 671-1084. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.