“Crazy For You” Young Performers’ Edition, September 17 – October 2, 2016, www.cpmarts.org — at Performing Arts at CCBC.
Who would ever want to go to Deadrock, Nevada? Definitely not Bobby Child, who is sent to the old gold-mining town by his mother to foreclose on a rundown theatre. In “Crazy For You,” Bobby, a wannabe dancer and singer, becomes more involved in the theatre than he ever thought possible. The musical, currently playing at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland, features some great Gershwin tunes, big dance numbers, and a case of mistaken identities.
The Zangler Follies are wrapping up for the season, and Bobby Child (Zachary Miller) is hoping for an audition with the famous Bela Zangler (Matthew Byrd). Unfortunately, he fails to impress. When he comes out of the theatre, his mom tells him he’s headed for Deadrock to foreclose on a theatre. Polly Baker (Ilyssa Rubin), the owner of the theatre/post office, gets news of Bobby’s impending arrival and vows to get even with him if she ever meets him.
“Crazy For You” is a fun, feel-good musical comedy…
When Bobby arrives in Deadrock (thirsty and exhausted), he falls in love at first sight with Polly and insists they put on a show to pay the mortgage on the theatre. Since Polly obviously doesn’t trust him, Bobby disguises himself as Bela Zangler and gets the Follies to come out to Deadrock. Unfortunately, only two British tourists come to see the show. Even worse, the real Bela Zangler shows up in Deadrock, and of course Bobby and Bela inevitably meet. Bobby ends up back in New York; he gets the Zangler Theatre as a birthday gift since Zangler spent all his money saving the theatre in Deadrock. Hearing this, Bobby finds his way back to Deadrock, and of course, like every good classic musical, everything ends happily ever after.
This show contains all of the Gershwin faves – including “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” and “I Got Rhythm.” Unfortunately, it seems as if they’re somehow forced into the musical’s plot; the show, which premiered in 1992, was obviously not written at the same time as the original songs (which are from the 1930s).
Whenever I see a show at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland, I think “how could a bunch of kids put on a show like that?” and “Crazy For You” is no exception. As always, the dancing is spectacular. In “Crazy For You,” there are some great tap numbers including “I Can’t Be Bothered Now;” all the Zangler Follies tap in perfect unison, which I know is no easy feat. The dancing is enhanced by some clever use of props. In “Slap That Bass,” the Follies use strings to imitate the strings on a bass. The cowboys ‘play’ the Follies at one point; later, the Follies use those strings to tie up the cowboys’ legs. In the aforementioned “I Can’t Be Bothered Now,” the Follies use candlestick telephones as props, twirling the wires and pretending to speak into the receivers. And in “I’ve Got Rhythm,” silver trays are used both as instruments and as a way to enhance that tapping sound (thankfully, we get to see this repeated for the reprise at the end of the show). Even some of the youngest members of the ensemble tap on top of those silver trays. Amanda Dickson’s creative choreography has those young actors moving like professional dancers.
There are also some great comedic moments in “Crazy For You.” After Bela Zangler (Byrd) arrives in Deadrock, he sees Bobby (Miller) dressed up as his twin. The two sit in front of each other, lamenting ‘vimen’ and drinking in perfect unison. Amazing how they get the timing exactly right with their words and actions. As with any classic musical, there are also some funny one-liners (which may go over the young audience’s head). When Irene mentions that she’s planning a wedding with 900 people, Bobby replies “good… they won’t even miss me.” And at another point an actor refers to Deadrock –“who would come to Nevada to gamble?”
Although the soundtrack is recorded, an accompanying drum (Lisa Wood) provides some live music (something my 8-year old noticed right away). And as with every Children’s Playhouse Production, the set is simple but completely right (Athan Demetrides, Matthew Demetrides). Deadrock has two perfectly constructed storefronts – the Gaiety Theatre/US Post Office and Lank Hawkins Hotel and Restaurant (complete with a set of saloon doors which shows that no detail was overlooked).
I can’t forget about the singing. In “Bidin’ My Time,” the Deadrock cowboys sing in perfect harmony. In “Slap That Bass,” the company sings multiple parts with ease (after all, there’s the boom boom and the zum zum). And then, of course, there are some great individual performances. Polly (Rubin) shows her tender side in “Someone to Watch Over Me” while Bobby shows his love for Polly in “Embraceable You.”
I noticed that even the youngest actors of the company maintain their character throughout the show, always paying attention to whatever action is going on with the main actors. And the Follies really get into their parts as cutesy, blonde dancers from the ‘30s. Although the show may be a bit old-fashioned for a younger audience — and the plot seems to be shortened to fit into the time frame — the big singing and dancing numbers using multiple props will definitely keep everyone entertained.
“Crazy For You” is a fun, feel-good musical comedy, which will introduce kids to some great Gershwin tunes – who could ask for anything more?
Running Time: 1.5 hours with a 20-minute intermission.
For more information and tickets, click here.
