Crazy for You

A Cappies review by Kathleen Newbould of TC Williams High School

selected for The Gazettenewspaper

 

They've got rhythm, they've got dancing, they've got a great show-- who could ask for anything more? Montgomery Blair's production of "Crazy For You" earned cheers as singing cowboys and tap-dancing showgirls took to the stage.

After opening in 1992, "Crazy For You" was nominated for nine Tony awards, won three, and ran for 1,643 performances on Broadway. With music by George and Ira Gershwin and a book by Ken Ludwig, the story follows Bobby Child who is on an errand for his mother to repossess a theater-turned-post office in Deadrock, Nevada. Once there, it's love at first sight when he sees a woman named Polly Baker, the owner of the property he has been sent to claim. To win her love, he tries to revive her theater by creating a fresh new show with help from a couple of dozen dancer friends from back east.

Isaac Arnsdorf led the cast with ease as Bobby, the tap dancing New Yorker. His chemistry with Polly (Alec Garrin) was tangible, especially in their dance number in "Could You Use Me?" Garrin's rough and tough manner visibly softened as Arnsdorf persisted. Follies dance captain Tess (Nora Boedecker) brought the stage to life with her clear voice and strong stage presence. Bela Zangler (Russell Ottalini) got plenty of laughs with his comic lines in the confusion of identities.

The pit orchestra blew away the audience, conquering a difficult score and sounding almost professional. Though the singers sometimes had difficulty being heard over the powerful musicians, this was likely a problem with microphones.

Designed by a team of students, the set for the show was remarkable. The audience was amazed as each new scene was brought to the stage, each larger and more detailed than the last. From buildings of the Wild West to the interior of the saloon to moving wooden cars, the sets were appropriate to the show and blackouts were nonexistent because of rotating pieces and an efficient stage crew.

Lighting for the show was simple for the most part, but the stage was fully lit with no shadows or dark areas. For instance, a backdrop lit with orange light set the scene in the heat of the arid Deadrock and a beautiful, though brief, sunrise set the time of a scene.

Montgomery Blair High School players provided quite an entertaining evening and left the audience singing the memorable songs as they headed home.