Summer along ‘42nd Street’

Despite the recent overcast skies, summertime theater is here. No, not Shakespeare under the stars. We’re talking about chorines under the lights.

Like beach reading, the backstage musical “42nd Street” offers a story that serves mainly as a pretext for simply relaxing and admiring the scenery.

Now at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa and arriving at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles next month, “42nd Street” may result in a little more physical exertion than you get from lying on the beach. This show has a beat, and your toes may tap. But for the most part, watching the “42nd Street” performers go through their routines is like watching surfers from the land.

There are no wipeouts from this company. This is the touring ensemble from the 2001 Broadway production that won a Tony Award for best musical revival -- the 1980 show’s first Broadway reprise -- and the company has a Broadway sheen.

No revelations here, either. “42nd Street” has been produced frequently in the Southland. While this touring production has a bigger cast, a few different songs and a glossier look than some of the other revivals, it’s not on a significantly higher level than the better local efforts.

This behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Depression-era Broadway revue was cobbled together from the ingredients of several early ‘30s movie musicals, including the sterling songs of composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin. But the book, by Michael Stewart and this revival’s director, Mark Bramble, has a built-in challenge that this production doesn’t quite overcome.

In the first half, fresh-faced Peggy Sawyer arrives on Broadway from Allentown, Pa. She’s late for the auditions for “Pretty Lady” but manages to get into the chorus line anyway because she’s so winsome that other members of the company arrange for her to do an impromptu audition on a city street.

Peggy can dance all right, but she’s also a bit of a klutz, often bumping into people. During the Philadelphia tryout, she collides with the leading lady, Dorothy Brock, in front of an audience. The kid is promptly fired.

Dorothy’s ankle is broken, meaning the show might have to close. Yet a fellow cast member comes up with the bright idea of casting Peggy, the fired klutz, in Dorothy’s role. Why, of course, everyone instantly exclaims. Who else? None of the other presumably aspiring stars from the company volunteers her own services. Even Julian Marsh, the domineering director who fired Peggy, is quickly won over to the idea.

For this scenario to achieve a scintilla of plausibility, the actress who plays Peggy should have an overwhelming charisma that cannot be denied even by her prospective rivals. Yet she must be able to blend well enough with the chorus line that we see why she was hired in the first place.

Catherine Wreford, playing Peggy, is a lithe, graceful dancer and has a pretty good singing voice. But she blends in a little too well. Her displayed talents aren’t distinctive enough that she would automatically come to mind as the replacement for the injured star.

This leads to a lesser but still nagging gap within the script. Before intermission, we’ve been told that the diva Dorothy isn’t much of a dancer, so the major choreographed numbers downplay her role.

Yet after Peggy takes over, with only a few days before the show opens on Broadway, most of her preparation consists of learning a zillion complicated dance steps. Although no one mentions it, the staging of “Pretty Lady” is apparently radically overhauled.

OK, we should suspend disbelief about such matters. So let’s move on. Blair Ross is a wonderful Dorothy, and her role has been enhanced with the addition (for the 2001 revival) of a smoky solo version of “I Only Have Eyes for You,” placed after a romantic squabble so that Dubin’s lyrics achieve a luminous poignancy.

Patrick Ryan Sullivan has an assured grasp of Julian’s world-weariness, plus the adrenaline and sex appeal that help him do his job. Diminutive Patti Mariano and affable Frank Root have fun with the roles of the producing-writing-second-banana performing team. Robert Spring’s tenor offers a welcome cheekiness.

The spectacle glitters on cue. The first act uses silhouettes in a lively shadow dance and, in the newly added “Keep Young and Beautiful” number, imports a tilted mirror to simulate the overhead shots of Busby Berkeley’s movies. The second act features another 2001 addition to the score, “With Plenty of Money and You,” in a number for Peggy and the chorus boys. Paul Gallo’s lighting palette is varied and lush.

The beating heart of the show is, as always, the crackling tap ensemble, overseen by Randy Skinner.

If only they could find a way to tap on the actual beach ....

*

‘42nd Street’

Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: Fridays-Saturdays, Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m.; this Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Ends: June 22

Price: $32-$66

Contact: (714) 740-7878 or (213) 365-3500.

Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Catherine Wreford...Peggy Sawyer

Patrick Ryan Sullivan...Julian Marsh

Blair Ross...Dorothy Brock

Patti Mariano...Maggie Jones

Frank Root...Bert Barry

Robert Spring...Billy Lawlor

Paul Ainsley...Abner Dillon

Michael Fitzpatrick...Mac, Doctor

Dexter Jones...Andy Lee

Tom Judson...Oscar

Daren Kelly...Pat Denning

Alana Salvatore...Annie

Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, based on the novel by Bradford Ropes. Music by Harry Warren. Lyrics by Al Dubin. Directed by Bramble. Musical staging and new choreography by Randy Skinner. Original direction and dances by Gower Champion. Sets by Douglas W. Schmidt. Costumes by Roger Kirk. Lighting by Paul Gallo. Sound by Peter Fitzgerald. Wigs and hair by David H. Lawrence. Orchestrations by Philip J. Lang. Musical adaptation, arrangements and additional orchestrations by Donald Johnston. Conductor Jeff Rizzo. Production stage manager Renee Rimland.