'42nd Street,' the 1933 film that saved Warner Brothers studio from bankruptcy and later became a Broadway staple, will be performed at Emens Auditorium today.
Set in the Great Depression, '42nd Street' tells the story of Peggy Sawyer, a small-town girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania with hopes of making it big on Broadway. Ailing Broadway director Julian Marsh is directing his possibly final show, 'Pretty Lady,' with financial backing from a rich, old man on the condition that the woman of his affection, Dorothy Brock, is the lead.
The night before the premiere, Dorothy breaks her ankle and must be replaced by a novice, allowing young Peggy to shine.
"It's a musical about having dreams, pursuing them and having them come true," said male dance captain Kevin Leary.
The company performing tonight began their tour in July of 2005 in Tokyo. Since then, they have played between 60 and 70 cities, said Leary. After a two month hiatus, the company returned earlier this month in Amherst, Mass. Some of his favorite performances have been in Providence, R.I., Birmingham, Ala., Phoenix and Thousand Oaks, Calif., he said.
Leary said he has been dancing for 18 years and is trained in tap, ballet and jazz. He was appointed male dance captain after the hiatus because the previous captain did not return. "As dance captains, we are responsible for keeping the choreography as close to the original as possible," he said. Leary only changes the choreography when a stage's design prohibits the performers from doing musical numbers as they are written, he said.
Leary's wife is the female dance captain.
"I consider myself lucky to have a job that I love, do a show I love and be able to share it all with my wife," he said.
Leary said that the show is high energy and entertaining. "It's a musical for people who don't like musical theatre," he said. "There's something for everybody."
'42nd Street' is at Emens Auditorium today at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $32 to $45 for adults, $15 to $20 for youth (18 and under) and free for Ball State University students in advance.
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