Dancing at the Chance
Pepper MacClair, daughter of the seamstress, has grown up in the Chance Theater and is thrilled when she is given the opportunity to join a dance act. But things go awry, and her dreams of a stage career conflict with her relationship with Robert DeGraaf, the owner’s son, who is faced with the challenges of reviving the fading venue amidst growing competition from the Ziegfeld Follies and the “flickers”. Lurking in the wings (literally) is the mysterious Gregory Creighton, the properties manager with secrets of his own. Pepper’s own ideas for improvement result in turbulent bouts with the stage manager that display a feisty leadership style that is at odds with her acquiescence and naiveté in her personal life, but she still retains her charm as the leading lady.
Like a stage performance in itself, at times the supporting cast of “stars, marvels and delights, or fools, misfits and deviants” is in danger of stealing the show, and it is most refreshing to have occasional funny moments in a romantic novel of this type.
The storyline does feel somewhat disconnected in places, but that doesn’t detract too much from what is a most entertaining read about a great era in Broadway history. I look forward to more show business novels from DeAnna Cameron.
