On this day in history, Aug. 25, 1980, the musical "42nd Street" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.

The show — notable especially for New Yorkers — stands out for its focus on the heart of Manhattan. 

Well before that, in 1735, the first theater opened on Broadway in New York City. Since then, thousands of shows have delivered theatrical performances to audiences who have come from all over the world for the experience.

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The musical "42nd Street" was based on the 1933 Warner Brothers original film.

The audience watches as a small-town chorus girl rises to stardom after saving the show when the leading lady gets injured — prompting her to take the center stage spot, as Broadway.com noted. 

The original cast included Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh, Tammy Grimes as leading lady Dorothy Brock, Wanda Richert as Peggy Sawyer and Lee Roy Reams as Billy Lawlor. 

Some of the most memorable songs from the musical included "We’re In The Money," "Shuffle Off To Buffalo" and "Lullaby of Broadway," according to Playbill.

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The show included music from the original film and was produced by David Merrick — who was well known for his work on "Hello, Dolly!" and "Travesties," among others. 

During the curtain call of Broadway's first "42nd Street" performance, actors took the stage to bow when an unexpected announcement came. 

Merrick took to the stage to announce that the show's director, Gower Champion, had died of a rare blood disease just hours earlier. 

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The cast appeared shocked in a photo that shows the somber moment. 

The show opened with its first performance at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1980 — winning a Tony Award in 1981 for Best Musical. (Gower Champion also won a Tony for Best Choreography for the show.)

The musical had a couple of different homes over its original eight-year run.

The show moved from the Winter Garden (to make room for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats") to the Majestic Theatre in 1981; there, it ran until 1987. 

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After the show departed from the Majestic, that theater was renovated to house "The Phantom of the Opera," which became home to that popular musical beginning in 1988 up through April 2023 — making it the longest-running musical on Broadway, according to the Majestic Theatre. 

In 1987, "42nd Street" moved to the St. James Theatre, where it stayed until the last curtain call in 1989. 

After completing nearly 3,500 performances, "42nd Street" closed on Broadway, according to the Internet Broadway Database. 

That wasn't the end for the showstopping musical, however.

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The tap dance-filled show had a Broadway revival in 2001 and performed over 1,500 times at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts — now known as the Lyric Theatre, according to Concord Theatricals. 

The revival then won the Tony Award for Best Revival in 2001 — and the show closed again in January 2005. 

Even then, the show lived on. 

"42nd Street" has had many different revivals in other countries — including a tour in Asia, the United Kingdom, China and Germany. 

So, talk about a spirited debate. Eight people, different ages, backgrounds, talents — and that was just in my bedroom. Eventually, the SWAT team was able to corral Kudlow. Also, we had the first Republican presidential debate. 

Each of the candidates tried to show why they would do a better job as president than the absentee-in-chief. So, how'd they all do? The truth is, the entire debate was driven by one Indian guy — just like my Uber today. 

ANNOUNCER: A racist would say.

That you would even laugh at something like that says a lot about your taste in comedy. Vivek certainly made his presence known. First of all, his teeth are amazing. He makes Donny Osmond look like Johnny Depp. But how weird was it that he was the focal point and not DeSantis? 

He became the catalyst for the most interesting discussions. He brought the fire, the ideas and that tremendous forehead. Yeah, you could show a double feature on that thing, but at the same time, not one after the other, because that's what normally a double feature is. But you would be doing it on two separate screens on his forehead. I'm glad I explained this for you. But it was Vivek who provoked the most contentious debates.

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MIKE PENCE: Let me explain it to you Vivek, if I can. I'll go slower this time... Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We don't need to bring in a rookie.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: A guy who sounds like ChatGPT, stand up here... The last person in one of these debates, Bret, who stood in the middle of the stage and said, "What's a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here," was Barack Obama, and I'm afraid we're dealing with the same type of amateur standing on stage tonight.

NIKKI HALEY: You have no foreign policy experience and it shows.

Wow, talk about some hot Indian-on-Indian action right there. If Joe Biden had just turned on the debate, he'd think 7-Eleven started a talk show. For those of you who don't remember, that was Joe Biden's line. After that, Nikki picked a fight with Tim Scott by hitting him on spending — a woman complaining about spending? That's got to be a first.

ANNOUNCER: A sexist would say.

I'm looking at the people that laughed at both the racist and sexist thing. Truth is, Nikki did have a good night, even if she played the woman card, but Vivek and Nikki both demonstrate the changes that are going on in the Republican Party as the Dems become the party of miserable, single people with graduate degrees in English. 

The Republicans have quietly become the stewards of the American dream for immigrants and the working class — you know, the very thing the Dems pretended they are. Meanwhile, the Republican Party has become so inclusive, they only kept one Black guy out. That's funny, you jerks. I have no patience today. But it's where the energy in the party is. It's where the fresh ideas are. 

It's where the future lies, which brings us to this fellow. Now, I know he sounds great, but he looks like a wax figure of himself. Doesn't he feel like the past, like looking at a picture of your metal shop teacher in your yearbook? He had the roughest hands. Only eight fingers, but that added to his charm.

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Ron DeSantis had a good night, but not memorable. He scored on crime, Soros prosecutors, but do we need to see the clips? Not really, it's weird, You know, Florida is booming and this guy defied the lockdowns, and he fired two Soros prosecutors. 

Yet when he puts on his tough guy voice, he sounds like a pissed-off Barney Fife. It's not fair, really. Of course, there's Tim Scott. Great story. Great guy, but why did he leave halfway through? Made no sense. Probably wanted to get home for Gutfeld, and the joke's on him — it was preempted. Christie started off subdued. He was so quiet, I could hear his stomach growling. But then he found his favorite little spot and went after Trump.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Someone's got to stop normalizing this conduct... Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States... This is the great thing about this country — booing is allowed, but it doesn't change the truth.

Of course, Trump wasn't there, and I've won a few fights like that as well, but without the opponent, it feels like shadow-boxing. There was this other guy there, too, you know, way at the end. Was he one of the ushers? He's got a great look, though, not for president of the United States, but definitely the governor of Transylvania. Asa Hutchinson wins in the comb-over category. This candidate had a cover-up even before taking office.

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And of course, Bret and Martha, they did exceptional. They were like two substitute teachers trying to control the naughty kids at high school detention. Maybe next time give them super-soakers filled with cat pee. So as we gain some distance from the debate, I think what we'll remember is Vivek challenging the establishment and having fun doing it. Is he ready for the presidency? 

I don't know, but why not? I mean, Biden was ready. Look what he did. The less ready, the better. And true, I have underwear older than Vivek, but I stole them from Stuart Varney. I usually go commando, but this was just the first of many debates. It was fun and very American, and let's not get too hysterical over it.

The truth is, nobody really laid a glove on Trump, he's got a bigger lead than Jimmy Failla in an ugly jacket contest. The other candidates are basically playing for second place, much like MSNBC or Jesse Waters. But as the country gets to know these other candidates, Trump may have to show up at some point. Otherwise, he risks the voters getting comfortable with some of these new faces, which makes me wonder, what did Biden think of the debate?

TOM SHILLUE AS BIDEN: Hey, hey. I told you, don't bother me while I'm doing my pilates, alright? I'll answer all your questions after I do this plank. One, two, three, four, five, six...

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