When you think of all singing and all dancing shows then 42nd Street is one of the ones that springs to mind. The show tells of Peggy Sawyer who joins the cast of Pretty Lady as a chorus girl whilst it becomes clear that the star of the show, Dorothy Brock is past her prime. On opening night Dorothy is injured and there is only 1 person who can step in to save the show.

The star of the show in any production of 42nd Street should be the dancing and Geoids production lives up to that. Kim Schenkelaars as the chorographer had created wonderful routines which were pitched perfect for the entire company, making use of the stronger dancers for the more intricate dance moments but ensuring at the same time that in the moments that felt like the entire company were on stage, not a single person put a foot (or a tap shoe) wrong. The formations utilised and the fact that they were able to open the show with the iconic curtain rise to tap dancing feet through to a show stopping ‘We’re In The Money’ was a real testament to her skill as a choreographer.

There is sometimes, especially in amateur theatre that in a dance heavy show the music and vocals can suffer but this could not have been further from the truth under Thomas Marples’ Musical Direction. The ensemble harmonies were amongst the strongest I have heard on an amateur stage. Combined with this a 14 strong orchestra, the show sounded as great as it looked. I also have to commend the sound design and operator, Adam Coppard, coping with an orchestra and cast of this size is never easy but the cast and orchestra were very well balanced and I didn’t miss a single word.

Adrianna Cordero-Marino took on the challenging role of Peggy Sawyer and she had the perfect balance of spark and tenacity combined with old school innocence. She was incredibly charismatic to watch and when the chorus girls extolled Peggy’s dance and vocal talents it was easy to believe them thanks to Caodero-Marino’s performance. Eliza Ketcher as Maggie Jones was another highlight, her comedy timing was perfection and her brashness as a character was entertaining. The group of chorus girls around Peggy Sawyer including Polly Hayes as Lorraine, Chloe Lane as Phyllis, Darcy Phillips as Gladys, Bryony O’Hare as Ann and Hilary Zondlair as Andy were a very strong group who really showed the depth of talent that Geoids has within the company.

The action was well paced under the direction of Emily Phillips and the set from scenic projects was very well utilised, ensuring that the action flowed between scenes including neat dance transitions to cover some of these moments. The moments of brevity and laughter were played well although I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the romantic tension build up throughout the show.

With 42nd Street Geoids have pulled off a production that looks and sounded beautiful and a stage that was bursting full of talent. Their production of 42nd Street provided a night of tap dancing escapism. The fact that Geoids can in the space of under 6 months go from a mesmerising production of Into The Woods to a dance heavy show like 42nd Street deserves a huge amount of praise…I for one can’t wait to see what they pull out of the bag next!

42nd Street is on until 26th April. You can find out more, including about Geoids next show on their website here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Into The Woods, Saturday Night Fever and Spring Awakening – all by Geoids.