STEPHEN KEARLEY reviews 42nd STREET at Sharon Playhouse

FROM THE BROADGAYS

By: Stephen Kearley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A toe-tapping knockout.”

This was my first visit to Sharon Playhouse, and it certainly will not be my last.

From the moment we arrived, everything was remarkably organized. The staff and volunteers were among the friendliest I have encountered at any theater, and the entire afternoon felt welcoming before the show even began. Then the cast launched into the opening audition sequence, and Sharon Playhouse made it very clear that nobody had invited us all the way to Sharon, Connecticut, for some halfhearted shuffle-ball-change.

Amy Van Norstrand’s choreography is the centerpiece of this production. The opening tap sequence is so clean and precise that I found myself watching individual feet, amazed that nobody ever slipped out of formation. The large ensemble numbers are sharp, beautifully arranged, and performed with the kind of precision that makes an audience understand exactly how much work has gone into making something look effortless.

And there is a lot of tapping. Glorious, relentless tapping.