In the Broadway musical 42nd Street, the fictional stage musical being produced is called Pretty Lady.
Pretty Lady is the troubled show within the show. Its leading performer, Dorothy Brock, is injured shortly before opening, creating the opportunity for chorus dancer Peggy Sawyer to step into the role. That backstage crisis drives the musical’s classic underdog story.
The Broadway musical opened in 1980 and is based on the 1933 film 42nd Street. Harry Warren wrote the music, Al Dubin wrote the lyrics, and Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble wrote the book for the stage version. The title 42nd Street refers to Broadway’s theatrical district and to the musical’s central idea of a chorus performer becoming a star. Pretty Lady is sometimes confused with the title of the Broadway show itself, but it is specifically the fictional production inside it.