"We're In the Money" - 42nd Street

Matt Guernier as Billy Lawlor in West Orange High School's production of "42nd Street." Directed by Ken Rush, Choreographed by Tara Whitman.
The quintessential backstage musical comedy classic, 42nd Street is the song and dance fable of Broadway with an American Dream story and includes some of the greatest songs ever written, such as “We’re In The Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” “Dames,” “I Only Have Eyes For You” and of course “42nd Street.”
42nd Street tells the story of a starry-eyed young dancer named Peggy Sawyer who leaves her Allentown home and comes to New York to audition for the new Broadway musical Pretty Lady. When the leading lady breaks her ankle, Peggy takes over and becomes a star. Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin. Here's a clip of Matt Guernier playing the romantic lead, Billy Lawlor, in the show stopping, tap-dancing number, "We're In the Money."

[@jkbenny39]

I want to hug the drama teacher!! Lighting...choreography...timing...WOW! I've seen colleges who cant pull this off!!

[@kurtjackberhalter1537]

Bravo,Matt and company!I actually thought this was the national company,l saw in the 1980’s. Wow

[@louisereid1744]

This was high school kids? Sensational!!

[@romeolaxamanasobrepena8735]

Thank you for posting this since I enjoyed it very much. My iWatch thought I fell since I was clapping so hard. Had I been there, I would also have given you a thunderous standing ovation. May all your dreams of becoming Musical Theatre Stars come true! And you were awesome, Matt!

[@brianeduardo1234]

Truly terrific- great dancing

[@jgilc2691]

This is absolutely wonderful. I hope each kid reaches their dream... of Broadway! Way to go! Keep up the great work!!!

[@janethothersall8345]

Ahhh well one everyone! I’ve seen this musical several times...Truly joyful! and you all did a great Job! 🥰

[@tomdimaggio3988]

This Is Fantastic !!!

[@jameshanson4048]

Another great video of the day! Inspirational...!

[@rgmrtn]

Astonishing.

[@tomdimaggio3988]

This is Fantastic !!

[@pamelamoscatellipzdanceaca8975]

Not sure if you will get this as I know this video was posted a long time ago. How did you make the big dime coins to dance on?

[@carlosalbertolopez4926]

you are perfect!

[@chocolatesouljah]

At certain points it seemed awkward, repetitive even stiff but still enjoyable. However, by the time Bully took his solo it was electrifying. I woulda given homeboy a standing ovation. Overall it was remarkable!

[@debradaleo4986]

thats what they used to call talent!

[@MattGuernier]

Debra Daleo Thank you so much! I appreciate it!!

[@davidedwards3361]

Really good to see these 'kids' performing like this, not to mention the amount of money the school must have spent on the performance. But what are they like at Math or English? How is their geography? How much money is being spent on different subjects by the school? Okay, it's the American dream to be a star, but perhaps this sort of thing is best left to theater groups NOT the education system. This is why kids today can sing and dance, but can't spell or add up.

[@paul16451]

Trust me...my years in theater just such as this was a MAJOR factor in being able to ace job interviews and give presentations (I'm now the main trainer for my department in a major company and give two classes per month) as well as giving me an extremely good concept of teamwork and appreciating everything that goes on behind the scenes in any business. So dont knock it...because unlike geography, the skills I learned here apply to any real world situation.

[@katsmith1312]

Theater is an elective and gives kids that want to be part of the program an opportunity to let go of some energy in a productive way. It builds leadership and confidence and gives kids the opportunity to build new friendships. The budgets are not big at all. Most of the time, the high schools repeat the same productions every few years so they don't have to spend big money on new props and costumes.

[@mrndmrrs]

I know this comment was literally from two years ago, and that this is not a productive hill to die on, but I was in this show, and a bunch of us were Honors kids, and AP kids, and NHS kids (yes, we were "kids." Not sure why you used quotes there). You actually weren't allowed to participate in theatre if your grades weren't high enough. I graduated in the top 11 percent of my class with a 4.6 GPA and a 1440 SAT score, and I wasn't the biggest nerd in the theatre department by a long shot. Many of us actually went to college on academic scholarships as well as theatrical scholarships. And one of the ensemble guys in this show almost went to Yale. So yeah, I'd say we were pretty good at math and English. Every member of the cast also helped build sets, sew costumes, and make props, which involves plenty of measuring and cutting (geometry), and we had to research the period that this show came from to make sure we did it justice (history). But theatre teaches incredibly important soft skills, too. And as theatre people, we're really good at oral presentations. And job interviews. And working with diverse groups of people. And those skills are far more useful than geography. I'm really sick of hearing about how "kids today can sing and dance, but can't spell or add up," not when theatre often helps people with their academics, and especially not when so many of us have worked too hard to be seen not only as "talented" people but as "smart" people, too. Oh, and we fundraised the money to do this show all by ourselves. We asked our friends and family to buy tickets, we sold chocolate bars, and we passed around hats at the ends of performances so people could donate. So, no, the school didn't divert money from the academic programs for us to do this. We made this happen ourselves. No other high school class teaches that level of entrepreneurship. Please check yourself before you assume that people who are good at singing and dancing aren't good at a variety of other things, too.

[@tallboyp]

As a teacher and performer who grew up in these programs, who learned discipline, working together , timing, math (YEP MATH DUDE!! ) Cause you need to learn counts, spacing and anything else, this magnificent clip right here is the very culmination the very top of a class of life and survival skills you simply cannot get anywhere else. To anyone in this clip, bravo times ten and to anyone doubting what exactly it “teaches” sit down in the back now rewatch this and take a lesson because theatre IS life and these performers get it.