Crazy for You. Who could ask for anything more?

Gillian Lynne Theatre, London
July 3, 2023

In some ways Crazy for You is just a little bit old-fashioned. It certainly comes with a Follies showgirl aesthetic and a lot of stereotypes. It’s loaded with the sort of physical and slapstick comedy, farce, and terrific one-liners that bring back memories of entertainers from another age. But what joy. What entertainment. What music. The show is rammed with instantly hummable melodies that stick in the mind for a long time. I defy anyone to walk away not singing to themselves. What dance too from director and choreographer Susan Stroman. The chorus-line, tap, ballroom and comedy numbers just keep giving. There’s even a splash of ballet. Tap on pointe, anyone?

As the title suggests, at heart, Crazy for You is a love story. Would be dancer Bobby Child is dispatched by his family bank to the middle-of-nowhere tumbleweed town of Deadrock, Nevada, population 37 and the “Armpit of the American West,” to foreclose on its run-down theatre. Instead, he falls for Polly Baker, the theatre owner’s daughter and town’s only female, and is persuaded to help bring the venue back to life. Posing as Broadway impresario Bela Zangler, he puts on a show, bringing in Follies girls to sing and dance with the local men.

Much fun ensues although Stroman doesn’t pass up the opportunity to make the point about the importance of art and how it can inspire, bring life and renew any town.

The music is glorious. Classic Gershwin. The wonderful melodies just keep coming. In many ways, it is a ‘juke-box musical.’ Unlike most of that oeuvre, the song and dance always seem to emerge naturally. Both also play a part in establishing emotion, place or moving the story along. Stroman’s dances in New York are glitzier and more sophisticated than those in Deadrock, for example.

‘I Can’t Be Bothered Now’ illustrates Bobby caught between his mother and self-declared fiancée, Irene, wanting to simply escape banking and dance. ‘Shall We Dance’ shows us Bobby and Polly falling in love with each other despite her doubts and their different backgrounds, the choreography emphasising mood by shifting between soft shoe, playful chase and big waltz.

Music and dance come together brilliantly time and again. Of the big numbers, Act One’s closing ‘I Got Rhythm’ stands tall. The scene shows Bobby that the guys of Deadrock do indeed ‘have rhythm’ and that a show might just be possible after all. It has a marvellous, effervescence to it. It’s a real stormer of a number as Stroman calls on all manner of props. Hammers, mining pans, saws, spoons, a washboard, even a sink plunger are used for percussion. That’s before we get to pickaxes being swung and used as supports for the women to stand on.

Running it close is the less well-known ‘Slap That Bass,’ which makes inventive use of rope for strings as the showgirls become living basses for the men to play and dance with. Then there’s the clever and thrilling unison tap number done using dustbin lids.

The excitement of the big numbers is complemented by the more delicate, softer balletic and ballroom moments. When it comes to song, it’s the quieter, more thoughtful numbers that hit hardest too. A personal favourite? It must be ‘Embraceable You,’ a love ballad that comes with a dose of humour since Bobby at this point is disguised as Ziegler, which Polly doesn’t spot. It’s stunningly danceable. George Balanchine knew what he was doing when he choreographed to it and some of the other numbers in his sparkling Who Cares? ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ and ‘They Can’t Take That Away from Me’ are equally delightful.

As Bobby Child, Charlie Stemp is irresistible. Almost ever-present, and comes with incredible physicality and bags of energy. He sings beautifully but wow can he dance too, somehow always graceful even when being gawky. He’s some comedian too, with some of the physical comedy bringing back memories of the genius that was Norman Wisdom.

But it’s another outstanding act that seems to have been the inspiration for the show’s top comedy moment, Stemp teaming up for an extended skit with Tom Edden, who puts in a hilarious turn as Zangler. The pair sing ‘What Causes That?’ as drunken reflections of each other just as the famous mirror scene from the Marx Brothers film, Duck Soup. That Zangler/Edden looks maybe a little like Harpo just adds to the pleasure. It is very, very funny.

As Bobby’s will-she, won’t-she love interest Polly, Carly Anderson is perfect as the just-a-little sassy, just-a-little bossy, Polly Baker. She has a beautiful voice and is outstanding in her solo numbers. The range and feeling she packs into the lyrics, is quite divine. She has great chemistry with Stemp and their relationship is beautifully realised. Whether dancing or singing, the pair a real joy together.

Natalie Kassanga plays Irene Roth, Bobby’s self-declared, pushy fiancée, but who eventually finds her man in Deadrock hotel-cum-saloon owner Lank Hawkins, played by Mathew Craig, the nearest thing the show has to a villain. But that’s only after she gives him the chance for a delicious Basil Fawlty moment when she dares to criticise his establishment.

There’s more comedy and over-the-top stereotyping from Sam Harrison and Rina Fatania as the upper-class English couple Ruth and Eugene Fodor, who drop by Deadrock as part of a guidebook writing tour.

The dance and vocals from the well-drilled ensemble are impressively sharp. It is just a shame that the theatre’s layout means that the show’s impressive band has to be hidden away in their ‘penthouse suite’ as Stroman put in afterwards.

Beowulf Boritt’s time-perfect set turns neatly from New York to Deadrock, from street to saloon to theatre. William Ivey Long’s costumes are spot on, but watch out especially for the dazzling sequins and the enormous feathered fans, in the final scene especially.

The finale is back in New York City. “Bobby, do you want to dance?” asks Polly. “Who could ask for anything more?” he replies. Spot on.

Crazy for You is at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, London. Now booking to January 2024.