Blair Ross Steps into Broadway's 42nd Street
Ross previously played the role of aging diva Dorothy Brock on the tour of 42nd Street. Her New York stage credits include appearances in mountings of Exactly Like You, Smoke on the Mountain, Berlin to Broadway, Wonderful Town and Hysterical Blindness. She was recently featured as Kay Thompson in the workshop Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Story.
In his review of the tour's stop at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, Variety's Joel Hirschhorn wrote of Ross' performance: "Dorothy Blair Ross, the show's temperamental leading lady, is portrayed with verve and bitchy flair. Swathed in Roger Kirk's sumptuous designs that suggest Erte art deco sculptures, she indulges in amusingly cutting confrontations with Julian. 'Shadow Waltz,' which spotlights her comedically clumsy dance routine on a large screen, is a visual treat, and her rendering of 'You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me' packs an old trouper's punch and authority."
Ross will join a Broadway cast that includes Cassidy as Marsh, Nadine Isenegger as Peggy Sawyer, Patti Mariano as Maggie Jones, Frank Root as Bert Barry, David Elder as Billy Lawlor, Chris Clay as Andy Lee, Alana Salvatore as Anytime Annie, Richard Pruitt as Abner Dillon, Michael Dantuono as Pat Denning, Steve Luker as Mac and Greg Beck as Oscar, the on-stage pianist.
42nd Street is scheduled to end its run at the Ford Center on January 2, 2005.