Tap dance down to ’42nd Street’ in Aurora

No more tap dancing around it. If you are a Chicago area or Aurora resident and haven’t checked out the new “Better than Broadway” musical series at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora, then the company’s upcoming revival of the quintessential song-and-tap-dance musical 42nd Street is the perfect excuse. Directed by award-winning Rachel Rockwell, the choreography is by multi-Jeff Award-winner Tammy Mader with music direction by conductor Doug Peck.

The timeless 42nd Street presents the classic story of Broadway. Peggy, the small town girl, leaves the sanctity of family to pursue her dreams in Depression-era New York City. While keeping the big city wolves at bay, she befriends the working class of the theater world – the chorus – and lands a place on the line in the newest play Pretty Lady. But when the lead actress gets injured, will Peggy have the talent and moxie it takes to tap her way out of the chorus line to the top of the Great White Way?

The musical 42nd Street runs January 15 to February 9, 2014 at the Paramount Theatre, located at
 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora, Illinois. Along with talent from the top theater artists from Chicago and all over the country, audiences can expect to enjoy the much-loved hit songs, including “We’re in the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” and of course, the title number “42nd Street.”

Paramount’s talented young hoofers will perform some of the most show-stopping tap numbers in Broadway history, complete with gorgeous 1930s costumes and beautiful sets. The cast is led by Larry Adams as cut-throat Broadway producer Julian Marsh, Tyler Hanes as charming song and dance man Billy Lawlor, and Laura Savage as Allentown, Pennsylvania’s own Peggy Sawyer. 

Adams was last seen at Paramount in Annie and has appeared on Broadway and nationally in The Phantom of the Opera. Hanes’ Broadway credits include Larry in the original revival of A Chorus Line, Link Larkin in Hairspray, Johnny Boyle in Juno and Charlie in Sweet Charity. He received a Jeff nomination for best actor in Footloose at Marriott Lincolnshire. Paramount audiences will recall Savage for her zesty portrayal last season as teenage ingénue Zanetta Shinn in Rockwell’s The Music Man. She was recently nominated for a 2013 Jeff Citation as Best Actress in a Musical in BoHo Theatre’s SpitFire Grill. 

Leading the whole production is Rachel Rockwell, the Chicago Tribune’s “2012 Chicagoan of the Year in Theatre” and director of Paramount’s wildly acclaimed productions of In the Heights, The Music Man, Annie and Hair. Doug Peck, Rockwell’s music director for Paramount’s Hair and, more recently, Goodman Theatre’s The Jungle Book, returns as music director. Tammy Mader is making her Paramount debut as choreographer.

Tickets to Paramount’s 42nd Street are now available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.