42nd Street is a singing, dancing star-is-born romance about Broadway. The romance isn't between a guy and a gal, although there is a guy waiting in the wings. The romance is between a girl and the Great White Way.

        The character Peggy Sawyer is the quintessential spunky kid with a dream who can tap up a storm.

        She gets off the bus from Allentown, Pa., and gets a job in the chorus. After many great songs and some backstage drama, on opening night the star has a bad break and Peggy has a good one. She goes onstage as an understudy and three hours later takes her bows as a star.

Fact or fiction?

        Meet Beth Johnson, who, fresh off the plane from Columbus, nailed a role in the chorus and is one of two understudies for the role of Peggy in the 42nd Street revival playing at the Aronoff Center.

IF YOU GO

What: 42nd Street     When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 22.     Where: Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati, Aronoff Center Procter & Gamble Hall     Tickets: $20-$60, 241-7469

UNDERSTUDIES

There's a long line of star-making roles occupied by understudies who never had to look back, including:     June Allyson, Panama Hattie; Stockard Channing, Two Gentlemen of Verona (musical); Albert Finney, Coriolanus; James Garner, The Caine Mutiny; Katherine Hepburn, Holiday; Dustin Hoffman, The Subject Was Roses; Anthony Hopkins, Dance of Death; Diane Keaton, Hair; Shirley MacLaine, The Pajama Game; Jerry Orbach, The Threepenny Opera, Phyllicia Rashad, Dreamgirls; Kevin Spacey, Hurlyburly.     Catherine Wreford, who plays chorus girl-soon-to-be-a-star Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street, also was an understudy.     It is a nerve-wracking business, she says, knowing you might only have five minutes notice.     She never did go on as Ado Annie in the Broadw ay revival of Oklahoma!, but then she was with the show for only three months before joining the 42nd Street national tour.     “I wanted to go on, but I wanted to know when I was going on. Maybe for a vacation day.”     An understudy learns a lot, she says. “When it's a fairly large part, you work with an assistant director to know how to make the part your own without disrupting everything else that is going on onstage.”     Ms. Wreford, 22 and a native of Winnipeg, also attended that     42nd Street first anniversary cast party, although she didn't meet her understudy, Beth Johnson, that night.     Ms. Wreford was on the invitation list because she was in the Broadway revival when it opened in 2000. “I was in the national tour of Annie Get Your Gun, and I heard practically everyone in the cast talking about call-backs for 42nd Street and I thought, 'That's tap — that's what I love' and I called my agent and told him to get me an audition.”     She stayed with 42nd Street for 10 months before switching to Oklahoma! There were no hard feelings with her former employers because at the cast party director Mark Bramble asked Ms. Wreford how she felt about going on the road.     She felt just fine, thank you.“It's a first national tour, it's a chance for people to do the hiring to see that I can carry a show. And I'm kind of a gypsy — I like living in hotels.”

        Ms. Johnson talks in bubbling exclamation points, and so would you if you were telling this story.

        Back in April, Ms. Johnson was finishing her senior year at Olentangy High School and went to New York with two fri ends. (“It was a birthday/graduation present from my parents!”)

        She didn't have an Equity card, much less a high school diploma, but she thought it would be great if she could get an audition for a Broadway show.

        She and her friends met “a sweet little old couple!” at the half-price tickets

        booth in Times Square. The couple had extra tickets to 42nd Street. (Ms. Johnson was amaz ed to hear about a recent Times Square swindle in which sweet little old ladies and gents sell the unsuspecting counterfeit tickets. “No! I never heard that!” The girls had great orchestra seats.)

        After the show they went to the stage door for autographs.

        “And out walks Randy Skinner, and I told my girlfriends, "He's the choreographer!' which actually seemed strange because the show had been running for a year and the choreographer wouldn't normally be there. He's from Columbus!”

        About this time, the stage door guard, who was eavesdropping, handed Ms. Johnson a ticket and said, “I'm not going, you go.”

        “It was the show's first anniversary that night and it was a ticket to the cast party at the Rainbow Room!”

        At her friends' urging, Ms. Johnson went — by herself. (“My knees were shaking!”)

        She immediately made for the buffet line “ 'cause I didn't know anyone,” and when she went looking for a seat, the only one available was next to the show's leading lady, Meredith Patterson. “She was incredibly nice!”

        In no time, Ms. Patterson was introducing Ms. Johnson to director Mark Bramble, Mr. Skinner and dance captain Kelly Barclay.

        “They said, "Come Tuesday and audition with the boys!' (Equity and non-Equity auditions for women had been completed.)

        Luckily for Ms. Johnson, the audition was April 30; she cleared the age 18 rule by four days.

        “I got called back and they said I was cast!”

        She went back to Columbus, graduated, and dropped her plans to study theater and dance at Ohio Wesleyan. In July, she returned to New York to start rehearsals. She's the youngest member of the company.

        She expanded her performing duties to understudy when she was among six girls invited to read. She and another girl were chosen. “Oh my gosh. It's more than I dreamed of! Wow!”

        She's not sure how it's decided which of the two go on if the need arises. (It's decided by who else is missing on a given nig ht. Musicals have “swing” performers who fill in, usually specializing in singing or dancing. If the swing is already covering for another dancer, chances are Ms. Johnson will spend the evening in the chorus.)

        You can spot Ms. Johnson late in the show, when the company is dancing on the stairs in the title song. “I love the stairs. I get a rush. The audience is beaming — I love look ing at the audience! I'm the third step up. When Peggy and Billy are dancing, if you're in the audience, I'm to her left.”

        She says she would never be tempted to stick her foot out to get her chance at center stage. “My gosh, no! No, no, no!”

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