In the Hollywood-musical-turned-Broadway show ”42nd Street,” Peggy Sawyer, a young girl from Allentown, PA, dreams of being in a New York Broadway show in the theatre district of 42nd Street. The show fluctuates between the challenges she faces as a Broadway newcomer, her interactions with various people she meets in show business, and her unexpected triumphs towards stardom. It is a show within a show since most of the musical numbers are part of the fictional musical, “Pretty Lady.”

The players returned to Riverside Center for the Performing Arts to present “42nd Street,” a story about a girl who moves from a small town to New York City to find fame on Broadway.

Riverside’s production of the high-energy show stars Andrea McArdle as Dorothy Brock, the seasoned star hired to make the fictitious show in the play, “Pretty Lady,” a hit. The iconic McArdle has appeared in several Broadway plays, including her heart-winning performance in the title role of “Annie” in 1977, a major musical based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie.”

An aspiring chorus girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Peggy Sawyer, arrives in Depression-era New York and joins the ensemble of Pretty Lady, a new Broadway show. Right before opening night, the star of the show breaks her ankle. Will Peggy be able to step into the starring role and soar to stardom? With marvelous tap numbers, snazzy costumes, and well-known songs like “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “We’re in the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and “42nd Street,” the musical 42nd Street at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is a winner.

A show within a show has arrived at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts.

“42nd Street” — based on an iconic 1932 novel-gone-film starring Warner Baxter and Bebe Daniels — débuted yesterday and will run Wednesdays through Sundays through Sept. 10.

And, by all indications, its gearing up to be a showstopper.