A Spectacular Backstage Musical
Reviewed by Vicki Stokes
Do you ever get annoyed when your purse or pocket gets weighed down with small change? Today, those nickels and dimes seem useless when a loaf of bread costs dollars, not coins. In 42nd Street, now on the Main stage at Huron Country Playhouse, the talented, glamorous dancers are willing to stick some gum on a string to fish a coin from a city grate. They are dreaming of their next meal, avoiding thinking about what will happen if they can’t pay their rent. And they are willing to go to great lengths to get their show, Pretty Lady, on the stage.
Set during the Great Depression, 42nd Street tells the story of a highly talented Peggy Sawyer who misses her opportunity to get cast in Pretty Lady. Dorothy Brock, an aging star, is guaranteed the lead because her beau is financing the musical. The chorus girls take a liking to Peggy and help her get cast in the show, and when Dorothy is injured, the show is threatened unless Peggy can be convinced to learn the role in a hurry.
42nd Street was conceived as a novel in 1932, which became a feature film in 1933. It wasn’t until 1980 that the musical came along, full of familiar musical hits. If you’ve ever found a twenty-dollar bill in an old jacket and hummed to the tune of “We’re in the Money”, then you are sure to recognize a few more of the musical numbers in this show. 42nd Street represents the theatre district in New York.
Hadley Mustakas plays Peggy Sawyer, while her mother, Jackie Mustakas, plays Dorothy Brock. It’s an interesting dynamic in a musical about rehearsing for a musical, that a real-life mother and daughter play an up-and-coming and a has-been. These are merely roles they play, as Hadley has become quite experienced (for Drayton Entertainment, she has been in 2 Pantos and Fiddler on the Roof), and Jackie is still quite active in theatre. And both are very talented.
The rest of the cast is fabulous, and a few are outstanding. Gabrielle Jones impresses as Maggie, one of the writers of Pretty Lady. She is motherly to the chorus girls and can belt out show tunes with ease. Jay T Schramek, as Andy Lee, the Pretty Lady choreographer, is a mesmerizing tap dancer. The performances of the ensemble are top-notch, and Director/Choreographer Michael Lichtefeld brings out the very best.
The set evokes a Broadway feel with the neon-look signs and various backdrops. You are taken to a restaurant, brought to a train station, and carried away in a Pullman car. There is a musical number that uses shadows to great effect. The music is captivating, striking the perfect mood. The contemporary costumes reinterpret 1930s fashion, featuring bows, silky fabrics, full-length body-hugging dresses and daring short skirts. Suits and dress pants are standard for the men in the cast.
This feel-good, toe-tapping musical should be a hit this summer, not for the plot but for the incredible job of the cast and crew.
42nd Street continues until June 27th at Huron Country Playhouse, Mainstage, then continues at Hamilton Family Theatre beginning July 2nd. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 519-238-6000, or Toll-Free at 1-855-372-9866, or by checking www.huroncountryplayhouse.com for availability.
Photo: Company in 42nd Street. Photo by Hilary Gauld.
42nd Street
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble
Directed and Choreographed by Michael Lichtefeld
Musical Director – Jeannie Wyse
Performed by Hadley Mustakas, Josh Graetz, Jackie Mustakas, Eric Craig, Gabrielle Jones, et al.
Produced by Drayton Entertainment
Mainstage, Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend – June 10 to June 27, 2026
Hamilton Family Theatre, Cambridge – July 2 to July 19, 2026
Reviewed by Vicki Stokes