Dancing on 42nd Street in New York

I was recently on Broadway in New York, and although I wasn’t dancing, I sure saw some exciting dancing on stage at the New Amsterdam Theater. This theater is actually on 42nd Street in Manhattan in the middle of the Broadway section of Midtown. We saw the show, Aladdin, and it was wonderful!

Of course, most are familiar with the story of Aladdin. This Broadway troupe really brought it to life with a tremendous amount of energy, mystical theatrics, and a scene that made me think of the upcoming Broadway show we have coming to Van Wert on February 12.  We really enjoyed the entire show, but the one scene that brought the house down was a tap dance scene right before intermission. It was an amazing array of talented dancers in beautiful costumes tap dancing in perfect harmony to exciting music.

Now, maybe it was because we were actually on 42nd Street, or maybe it was because of the dancing, but I thought about how amazing some of the scenes will be on stage at the Niswonger. From what I have seen and been told, our production of 42nd Street will have even more dancers than we were witnessing with Aladdin. Wow! It should be spectacular! And you will recognize the music from 42nd Street, with well-known tunes such as “We’re in the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle off to Buffalo,” and, of course, “42nd Street,” as well as many others.

I have not seen this musical, but am familiar with so much of the music. It was actually playing a revival on Broadway in 2001 when our First UM Choir visited New York City. Many of our choir members went to a performance of 42nd Street and loved it. Because of three young children at the time, we went to Beauty and the Beast.  Now, I am looking forward to 42nd Street.  I would never have believed at the time that this same show would someday be playing in Van Wert, Ohio!

We have two performances on Sunday, February 12, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 7:30 that evening.  It looks like it’s a good thing we have two shows, as we are already at 1,500 tickets sold and we could only fit 1,200 in one show. Get your tickets now for this exciting show, featuring dance and music like you’ve probably never before seen.

The Time Jumpers, featuring Vince Gill and others, on February 4 is sold out. We are holding some performer holds that may come available closer to the concert, so you might check with the box office as we draw closer. For those of you with younger children or grandchildren, don’t forget about “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” on February 25. We have two shows for this one, too; one at 11 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m. This is a wonderful PBS kids show coming to life on our stage.

We have been rather quiet during January, as far as shows go, but my staff has been working hard at making sure the second half of our season is a spectacular one. We’ll top it all off with a big crescendo leading up to our Ten Year Gala with Bernadette Peters and The Boston Pops Orchestra on April 1. Tickets are now on sale for this big celebration. Don’t delay, as seats are filling quickly with people from all over the country! This gala concert we have put together was the talk among agents all over New York City while I was attending the APAP Conference last week. We are sandwiched between Chicago and Indianapolis with our Saturday night gala. I hope you can join us!

FINÉ.