As the curtain rises on 42nd Street, the first thing you see is a row of tap-dancing feet; an appropriate image, as this show is really all about the dancing, and in this production Graeme Henderson’s choreography sparkles and fizzes like the best champagne.

It’s a classic rags-to-riches story, set behind the scenes of New York’s 42nd Street Theatre during the Great Depression of the 1930s. There are some rather stereotypical characters, too, including a tantrum-throwing diva, a naïve and inept ingénue, and an impatient director who seems to spend most of his time striding about the stage barking out instructions. But it makes the perfect backdrop for a couple of hours of sizzling entertainment, executed by this company with enormous flair and pizzazz.

Among all the fizz, though, there is poignancy, too. For the chorus of 42nd Street Theatre, the new show is all that stands between them and destitution, and the Act II opener, Sunny Side to Every Situation, when they think they are about to lose their jobs, has an air of forced cheerfulness.

Legendary West End stars Marti Webb and Dave Willets are terrific as the diva Dorothy Brock and director Julian Marsh, both managing to make their characters believable. But Jessica Punch outshines them both as Peggy Sawyer, the ‘Cinderella’ character who is plucked from the chorus line to play the leading lady when Brock breaks her ankle in rehearsal. With her winning smile and twinkling feet, Punch is a dazzling presence as she taps her way through the show with unstinting energy and aplomb.

Ultimately, though, it is the ensemble dancing that really captivates as the cast hoof their way through such glorious numbers as We’re in the Money, Keep Young and Beautiful, Lullaby of Broadway and, of course, the title song, 42nd Street.

Julian Marsh’s ‘specks of dust’ combine to create a touch of magic.

42nd Street continues at the New Theatre until Saturday. Box office: 0844 871 3020.