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42nd Street Tickets

Sadler's Wells, London
Running time: To be confirmed.
Age Restrictions: Under 5s will not be admitted.

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42nd Street Tickets

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Peggy Sawyer dreams big in this reimagined production of the iconic musical 42nd Street!

David Ian and Jonathan Church present the Leicester Curve and Sadler’s Wells production of 42nd Street!

It’s big… it’s bright… it’s a brand-spanking new production of the original showbiz musical, 42nd Street!

Jonathan Church (Singin’ In The Rain, The Drifters Girl) directs the iconic song-and-dance spectacular featuring a hit parade of toe-tapping songs including “42nd Street”, “We’re In The Money”, “Lullaby of Broadway”, “Shuffle Off To Buffalo” and “I Only Have Eyes For You.”

Choreographed and designed by Olivier Award winners Bill Deamer and Rob Jones, 42nd Street is a timeless and inspiring showbiz fairy tale that combines breathtaking tap dance routines, backstage intrigue, classic romance and delightful comedy to dazzling effect. It’s simply irresistible!

Fresh off the bus from small-town America, young and beautiful Peggy Sawyer arrives in New York City dreaming of her name in lights. She quickly catches the eye of a big-time director and lands a spot in the chorus line of Broadway’s newest show… and when the leading lady gets injured, Peggy gets her shot at stardom.

42nd Street is a larger-than-life, massively entertaining celebration of musicals and the irrepressible spirit of Broadway that’s guaranteed to lift anyone’s spirits. Don’t miss it!

Venue information

Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells
Rosebery Avenue, Islington
London
EC1R 4TN

Sadler's Wells Theatre is a major London performing arts venue located on on Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the most recent of six theatres that have existed on the same site since 1683. The building, which stands today consists of two performance spaces: the 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive rehearsal rooms and technical facilities also housed within the site. It is recognised as one of the United Kingdom's foremost dance venues and producing houses, with a number of associated artists and companies who produce original works for the theatre. Sadler's Wells is also responsible for the management of the Peacock Theatre in the West End.

History

First theatre and pleasure gardens

Richard Sadler opened a "Musick House" in 1683, the second public theatre opened in London after the restoration. The name Sadler's Wells originates from his name and the rediscovery of monastic springs on his property. The well water being thought to have medicinal properties, Sadler was prompted to claim that drinking the water from the wells would be effective against "dropsy, jaundice, scurvy, green sickness and other distempers to which females are liable – ulcers, fits of the mother, virgin's fever and hypochondriacal distemper".

In 1698 Thomas Guidott the noted Doctor of Physik who popularised the waters of Bath wrote what he called "A true and exact account of Sadler's Well, or, The new mineral-waters lately found out at Islington treating of its nature and virtues: together with an enumeration of the chiefest diseases which it is good for, and against which it may be used, and the manner and order of taking of it".

This brought the health giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the country and soon the aristocracy started to arrive to partake in them.

Thus, this still quite rural London location became famous for both the water and for music, but as more wells were dug and the exclusiveness of Sadler's Wells declined, so did the quality of the entertainment provided – along with the quality of the clientele who were described as "vermin trained up to the gallows" by a contemporary. By 1711, the theatre was characterized as "a nursery of debauchery".

By the mid-1700s, the existence of two "Theatres Royal" –in Covent Garden and Drury Lane– severely limited the ability of other London theatres to legally perform any drama combined with music, thus rather limiting for opera. And Sadler's Wells continued its downward spiral.

The theatre was closed, reopened, and its focus modified six times between then and the opening of the current Sadler's Wells Theatre.

Sadler's Wells Theatre London: The Sixth theatre

The current theatre opened on 11 October 1998 with a performance by Rambert Dance Company. The £54 million project was one of the first projects to receive funding from the National Lottery– which contributed £42 million. The new design gave a stage which was wider and deeper and able to accommodate much larger companies and productions than the one it replaced. A new layout to the auditorium accommodated more seats. An extension at the side of the building provided a new ticket office and foyers rising to the full height of the theatre, provided easier audience access to all levels and included bars, cafes and exhibition spaces. As well as the 1,500 seat main auditorium, Sadler's Wells also has a base at the Peacock Theatre near Aldwych. The rebuilt theatre retains the Grade II listing applied to the former theatre in 1950. It also retains access to the remains of the historic wells that still lie beneath the theatre. The architect was RHWL, the acoustic consultant was Arup Acoustics.

When Ian Albery retired as Chief Executive in October 2002 he was succeeded by Jean Luc Choplin, who had recently worked for Disneyland in Paris and Los Angeles and at one time worked with Rudolf Nureyev as a Managing Director of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Although his contract ran until 2007, in January 2004 Choplin announced that he would be taking up a post at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris in 2006 and left shortly afterwards.

Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding since 2004, The Sadler’s Wells Theatre has expanded to become a production house as well as a receiving house hosting performances by visiting companies from the UK and around the world. Balletboyz Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Sylvie Guillem, Akram Khan, Jonzi D, Russell Maliphant, Wayne McGregor, Jasmin Vardimon and Christopher Wheeldon are all Associate Artists/Companies at Sadler’s Wells. This creates opportunities for them to work alongside each other and other collaborators in developing new work. It also contains the 200-seat Lilian Baylis Theatre. Sadler’s Wells also programmes the Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, in London’s West End.

Breakin' Convention , the International Festival of hip hop dance theatre has been produced annually by Sadler’s Wells since 2004. 

Travel by train: Kings Cross. Nearest tube: Angel

42nd Street fan reviews (41) 5.0

Fresh and feisty

Twice I visited the Dominion theatre to see the 2018 production of this wonderful musical. And here we are again enjoying the best of Harry Warren and Al Dubinsky - the likes of whom we’ll never see again. This new production at Sadlers Wells equals any of the previous shows. It has email wonderful cast and all the energy and spectacle the writers would have wished for. It’s a short run but I would strongly recommend everyone to see it. You won’t be disappointed!!

Posted by peter campbell on 23/06/2023

42nd Street, Sadler's Wells, London - 22nd June 2023

42nd Street Review

Best ever, fab time had by all.

Posted by Paul on 12/12/2017

42nd Street Review

Best ever, fab time had by all.

Posted by Paul on 12/12/2017

42nd Street Review

Brilliant production. Wonderful uplifting feeling

Posted by robert simon on 12/12/2017

42nd Street Review

Brilliant production. Wonderful uplifting feeling

Posted by robert simon on 12/12/2017

42nd Street Review

Absolutely brilliant, very professional, witty, and extremely entertaining. Well worth travelling to London for.

Posted by Jean Whitehouse on 11/12/2017

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