Percussive Polished 42nd Street Tour Delights At The Kravis

From the sequin-bright sparkle to the propulsive power of the 20^thCentury Limited, the new national tour of ‘42^nd Street’ at the Kravis on Broadway series is a polished, energizing and thoroughly winning edition of the venerable warhorse.

When the cast of 38 reaches that last verse and chorus of “Lullaby of Broadway” at the railway station and when a half-hour later in the title number a stage full of tappers hammer a rising staircase a capella for a full minute of precision percussion, it’s pure musical theater hallelujah.

The producers Troika Entertainment have a reputation for “thrifty” productions and this is a non-Equity effort. But it hasn’t scrimped much this time: a huge cast of equally-talented singer-dancers, plus new sets, costumes and lighting by veteran Broadway designers. The nine-member pit band has three synthesizers, but it also has three horns and a reed, albeit augmented by digital “fill”