UA grad is in the cast of '42nd Street'

Stephanie Brooks is about to return to her old dancing grounds.

The University of Arizona graduate is the co-dance captain for the tap-happy “42nd Street,” which Broadway in Tucson brings to Centennial Hall next week.

“I ushered for four years and did concessions at Centennial, and got my diploma there,” she said in a phone interview from Chicago, where the roadshow was finishing the second of a two-week run.

“It’s so exciting to me to be in Tucson and back on campus.”

She hasn’t had much time to visit the Old Pueblo since she received her BFA in dance in 2009. After graduation, she traveled to Europe and taught dance in Texas when a friend there convinced her to move to New York City to pursue her career.

New York had always been her dream; she didn’t need much convincing.

She landed plenty of teaching jobs in New York.

“Then I saw a production of (the musical) ‘Memphis.’ I got the Broadway bug,” she says.

She continued to teach, took voice lessons, and started to audition. She landed roles in the tours of “Mamma Mia!”, “My Fair Lady,” and “Chicago.”

And last year, she snagged a job with the touring company of “42nd Street.” She’ll be on the road with it until July.

And she couldn’t be happier.

“I could do this musical for the rest of my life,” she said.

That’s partly because she relates to it so well.

Brooks grew up in Yuma — a small town much like the one the play’s main character, Peggy Sawyer, hails from. Peggy, like Brooks, is a dancer. And, also like Brooks, she looked for her big break in New York City.

Peggy goes to the Big Apple hoping to become a star. She lands a small part in a new musical and when the prima donna star breaks her ankle, the chance Peggy wanted comes her way.

“I think we all can relate to having a dream and hoping the right opportunity comes along,” Brooks said.

The play is adapted from the 1933 movie of the same name, and it incorporates some songs from that film and added many more. You’ll be familiar with them — a number of the songs are standards that have stuck with us, such as “You’re Getting to Be A Habit With Me,” “I Only Have Eyes For You,” and “We’re In the Money.” It snagged a Tony in 2001 for Best Revival.

Brooks has to know just about every song and every step in the production — she is also a swing.

That means, she says, “I go on for whoever is injured.” She also understudies three roles.

“There was one show where we had a couple of girls sick,” she recalls. “I did my own role and the roles for four others girls. It’s definitely a brain challenge. I really enjoy it; going on as different characters keeps it fresh.”