Crazy For You - Gillian Lynne Theatre

Crazy for You is a 1990s musical featuring a score created by George and Ira Gershwin, and choreographed by Susan Stroman. It tells the story of Bobby Child, a New York banker who longs to dance his life away on the stage of Bella Zangler’s theatre. When his bank sends him to foreclose a theatre in Dead Rock, Nevada, Bobby decides to save the town’s landmark by putting on a show. Including classic Gershwin songs like ‘I Got Rhythm’ ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ and ‘Slap That Bass,’ this musical brings back a ‘Golden Age’ nostalgia that has been sorely lacking on the West End stage recently, despite the plentiful revivals of classic shows like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

In this modern age of musical theatre writing, I have come to find that a few shows are starting to add orchestration and songs to places just for the sake of ticking a box, and the songs end up being lost in the grand scheme of the action. However, every song in this show is a toe-tapping hit and you never find yourself questioning why a song was included. It really does feel like the characters sing because they don’t know how else to express their feelings. And that is the mark of a smashing musical theatre hit.

Photography: Johan Persson

Although this show feels and sounds like a ‘Golden age’ classic, it in fact opened in January of 1992, making this a lot more contemporary than audiences may come to realize, having opened only 2 years before the Jonathan Larson’s hit ‘Rent’ which revolutionized the art form. The score itself, written by George and Ira Gershwin, is largely based on their 1930s musical ‘Girl Crazy’ but also incorporates hits from their other productions of the time.

With a score that may already be known to the musical theatre enthusiasts, what is it about ‘Crazy For You’ that is so special? Two words: tap dance. One would argue that Susan Stroman’s choreography is entirely flawless, but it is so much more than that. With a show that needs to retain classic form due to the subject period, it is hard to incorporate a modern feel, but Stroman’s choreography perfectly sews together those two worlds to create something completely original. As well as creating uplifting ensemble numbers, the dances shared by Bobby and Polly are nothing short of absolutely romantic and magical. All of this would not have come across so well had the choreography not reflected each character’s personality, in every number. You could clearly see Bobby’s whimsy in his intricate steps, as well as Polly’s delicate nature in her arm movements when she dances with Bobby.

Photography: Johan Persson

The show opens with an extended overture number, synonymous with a beautiful time in theatre history when people would go to hear raw but lavish orchestrations and see mesmerizing choreography, and nothing more. And boy, does it not disappoint as the show unfolds. In fact, it keeps getting better! I was fortunate enough to see the first show with the spotlight characters being played by their respective understudies. Both Jack Wilcox and Kate Parr delivered show-stopping performances from start to finish, perfectly rounding off the show. Their chemistry on-stage is unlike any I have been lucky enough to witness, and that was translated flawlessly by Gershwin’s score and Stroman’s choreography. Wilcox’s Bobby was the perfect combination of clumsy and endearing, making this character all-too lovable in the audience’s eyes. Similarly, Parr’s Polly was strong, clever, and witty, whilst retaining a subtle vulnerability.

So, if you have not yet been lucky enough to witness this masterpiece of a show, I highly recommend that you do as this show has certainly been one of the highlights of this reviewer’s year! Complete with mesmerizing sets and lavish decors, which immediately transport the audience back to the 1920s, ‘Crazy For You’ is a symphony of joy and love of performance – it is the perfect tribute to the ‘Golden Age’ of musical theatre with its toe-tapping hit songs and splendid choreography.