Tony Award-Winning Musical Will Run During The Holidays At Downtown Cabaret

BRIDGEPORT — Downtown Cabaret Theatre will present 42nd Street, the big, bold, Tony Award-winning celebration of a Broadway song and dance musical extravaganza and the people behind-the-scenes of show business, November 21 through January 4.

As the curtain rises on those “dancing feet,” audiences are invited to spend the holidays on 42nd Street basking in warmth and glow of this razzle-dazzle-story about talent, love, hard work and being in the right place at the right time. Everyone cheers for the underdog to succeed as this glamorous and glorious musical focuses on the aspiring Peggy Sawyer, who breathtakingly leads the audience on her incredible journey of derring-do guts, incredible tap dancing and singing from chorus girl to star of the show.

42nd Street comes to Bridgeport directly from Atlantic City’s Tropicana, where the Atlantic City Weekly hailed “42nd Street dazzles! The production dance numbers, the costuming and music are all done to perfection.” The show’s choreographer, Paula Sloan, calls it “a wonderful showbiz fairy tale and it’s a show people of all ages can enjoy.” No other Broadway musical includes such memorable and ‘stick-in-your-mind’ hits as “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me, “We’re In the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” and the show-stopping title song “Forty-Second Street.”

According to Avon Old Farms School graduate Rutledge Varley, who plays producer Julian Marsh, “There is something magical about 42nd Street for me. I get that same uplifting feeling performing it that I experienced watching it on Broadway nearly 30 years ago. From the opening tap sequence to Julian’s 42nd Street reprise, the show exudes the theme that hard work and determination pave the way for success.”

The others in the cast of 42nd Street include Hartt School of Music graduate Andrew Chartier, playing the romantic singer and dancer Billy Lawlor, Melinda Vaggione as Peggy Sawyer, Lauren Fijol (Dorothy Brock), Allie Schauer (Maggie Jones), Johnathon Micheal Hanson (Andy Lee), Samantha Brior Jones (Anytime Annie), Natalie Roy (Lorraine), Melissa Gregory (Phyllis), Hayley Sharples (Diane), Maiza Ornelas (Ethel), Katie Ribis (Dance Captain), Sarah Burns (Ensemble), Tim Moudy (Abner Dillon), Andy McLeavey (Pat Denning), Michae LaMasa (Bert Barry) and Jeff Kuhr (Ensemble).

Performances will be Fridays at 7:30 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 5:30 and 8:30 pm. Tickets are $49 for Friday and Saturday, and $39 for Sunday shows.

A special New Year’s Eve Gala Celebration on Wednesday, December 31, will begin with an 8p m with a performance followed by dancing with DJ Jimmy Cabaret until 2 am. Tickets for December 31 are $75, which includes party favors and noise makers, a traditional balloon drop at midnight, coffee and danish after midnight, free ice, set ups, sodas and mixers, and free parking. There are also no service charges on phone orders (charges will apply to Internet orders).

Tickets for all performances including the New Year’s Eve Gala can be reserved by phone at 203-576-1636, online at DowntownCabaret.org, or in person at the box office, located at 263 Golden Hill Street.