{"id":12469,"date":"2014-02-24T10:02:39","date_gmt":"2014-02-24T15:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/news\/article.php?ArticleID=12469"},"modified":"2022-02-16T09:14:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T14:14:14","slug":"12469_it-s-showtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/2014\/02\/24\/12469_it-s-showtime\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Showtime!"},"content":{"rendered":"

500 costumes, 100 wigs, 22 musicians and 96 dancing feet add up to a hit as Montclair State students bring 42nd Street,<\/em> the extravagant, award-winning, long-running Broadway musical, to life at the Kasser Theater.<\/p>\n

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Based on the Academy Award-nominated 1933 movie of the same name, the 1980 Broadway musical won the Tony Award for Best Musical. In 2001, it again took home the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.<\/p>\n

The University\u2019s production of the iconic backstage success story, which will run from February 28 to March 8, is just as lavish as the Broadway originals.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll 500 of the costumes were designed by Roger Kirk for the 2001 Broadway revival,\u201d says Theatre and Dance professor Clay James, who is the show\u2019s director. Built for the European tour, the costumes and the more than 600 hats, bow ties, gloves and other accessories that go with them are rented from Troika Entertainment, a leading musical theatre production firm. Costume Shop Supervisor Judy Evans, who is coordinating all the fittings, has a definite advantage, according to James. \u201cIt just so happens that she worked on building the 2001 Broadway production and so is very familiar with Kirk\u2019s designs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natalie Perez-Duel, who is playing the role of Peggy Sawyer, has a lot of costume changes. \u201cIn the second act, when I\u2019m not on stage, I\u2019m changing,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m so excited about all of my costumes \u2013 they are stunning!\u201d<\/p>\n

Theatre Production\/Design major Derek Robertson has designed more than 100 wigs for the show. \u201cI ordered the wigs for all the chorus and styled them myself, with the help of three other students,\u201d he says. \u201cI designed the wigs for the five principal female characters, and had a company called Wigboys realize those designs with much higher quality wigs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robertson doesn\u2019t just make wigs. He is playing the part of Bert Barry in 42nd Street<\/em>. \u201cI love character roles. I am quite a character myself, so this role fits me,\u201d Robertson says. \u201cBert gets a lot of laughs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Cherin, a junior who hopes to receive his BFA degree in Musical Theatre in May 2015, is playing leading man Julian Marsh. \u201cThe thing I most enjoy about playing Julian is his natural commanding presence,\u201d he says. \u201cThe character gives me the ability to develop a deep sense of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right from the start, Cherin was determined to land the part. \u201cWhen I was younger, my mother would sing \u2018Lullaby of Broadway\u2019 to me, which is a big reason I wanted the role so badly. Now I can sing it back to her!\u201d<\/p>\n

For James, making the decision to stage the celebrated musical was easy. \u201cOur students need the opportunity to continue to grow as performers and apply the dance technique they are learning in class, especially tap dance,\u201d says James.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re basing our production on the original choreography of the late Gower Champion. Broadway and regional productions almost always return to the original staging. If our students are familiar with the original choreography, it is most certainly a step up in the audition process for professional roles,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Patrice Dlugos brings first-hand experience to her role as the show\u2019s associate choreographer. \u201cShe performed in the original Broadway production and is helping to reconstruct the original choreography,\u201d explains James.<\/p>\n

The production is faithful to the original in other ways as well. \u201cWe are building all the sets here on campus. We had the good fortune of reaching out to Douglas Schmidt, who designed the scenery for the Broadway revival and adapted his original designs to fit the Kasser Theater,\u201d says James. Schmidt\u2019s assistant Martin Flynn is working with the crew to bring the production to scenic life. A 75-student crew has built the sets and is running the production.<\/p>\n

A 22-member student orchestra led by veteran Broadway conductor Greg Dlugos sets toes tapping to showstoppers like \u201cI Only Have Eyes for You,\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re in the Money,\u201d and, of course, \u201cForty-Second Street\u201d from the moment the curtain rises to the actors\u2019 final bows.<\/p>\n

For James, the rewards extend beyond directing such a professional caliber production. \u201cMy favorite thing is witnessing the growth of performance and production skills in the students \u2013 and knowing they feel they are part of something pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets are on sale now for the March 1 \u2013 March 8 performances of 42nd Street<\/em>. For more information and tickets, visit <\/strong>Peak Performances<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Image Gallery<\/h2>\n

Click on an image below to enlarge photo.<\/p>

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