Marti Webb Joins Dave Willetts in 42nd Street Tour

42nd Street was the Winner of the 1980 Tony Award for Best New Musical and the 2001 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. It is the inspiring tale of small town Peggy Sawyer’s rise to fame from the chorus line to leading lady.

Ironically the story came true during the 1984 production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for a teenage Catherine Zeta-Jones who was a chorus member and understudy for Peggy Sawyer.  She was performing the part when one of the producers happened to be in the audience and was cast permanently in the role shortly afterwards.

Dave Willetts is playing notorious director Julian Marsh which is a role he has played before when he took over from Paul Nicholas on the 2007 tour.  He will be joined by Marti Webb playing past her prime prima donna Dorothy Brock.

Willetts musical theatre credits include taking over as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables from Colm Wilkinson, succeeding Michael Crawford as The Phantom of the Opera, Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love and most recently playing Professor Callaghan in the UK tour of Legally Blonde the Musical.

Marti Webb is best known for her roles in Evita and Tell Me On a Sunday as well as taking over from Elaine Paige as Grizabella in Cats, playing Mrs Johnstone in the UK tour of Blood Brothers and starring as Aunt Eller in a UK tour of Oklahoma.

The tour of 42nd Street opens at Oxford New Theatre on 5th June and currently tours the UK until 1st December when it ends at Nottingham.