Review by Zachary Miller, Front Row Reviewers
Part of why I really appreciate shows like Crazy For You, currently playing at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater in Orem, Utah, is that they recognize that music and rhythm can surface even in places we just call home. I think every theater/arts kid dreams of escaping their rundown hometown to go where real art is: New York City, San Francisco, places with bridges or skyscrapers. But something this arts kid has come to appreciate is that this artistic lightning doesn’t strike in only one or two places. It shows up wherever it’s called down.
This pastiche of Ira Gershwin tunes from the 30s and 40s sees Broadway hopeful Bobby Child (Cam Bronson) begging theater owner, Bela Zangler (Evan Meigs), to please put him on stage. Doesn’t he know Bobby’s not like the zillions of other theater kids promising he’s one in a million? Bobby sees the chance to make something for himself when his demanding mother forces him on a banking business trip to foreclose on an old theater all the way out in the middle of Dead Rock, Nevada, a land most hostile to your east-coast theater kid. But Bobby sees an opportunity when he collaborates with local cowgirl Polly Baker (Aubrey Jackson) to save the theater by using it to put on a show the likes of which rival anything Broadway. And who knows? This girl might even be the one for him … if only she didn’t want to deck him across the face for trying to foreclose on the theater in the first place. (But hey, it’s nothing he can’t fix with a little disguise and impersonation. If Polly doesn’t like him as Bobby, maybe she’ll like him as Mr. Zangler? What could go wrong?)
It’s worth recognizing that Bobby doesn’t really create something the townsfolk could never have built themselves so much as organize that untapped potential as only a dreamer ever could. We see upfront that the people of Dead Rock aren’t lacking in personality or color, the things you might need for a showtune revue. True, their outfits aren’t frilly or sparkly like the champagne-colored dresses of the Broadway showgirls, but they are bright and colorful, and you see how costume designer Brodee Ripple uses this dichotomy to create that conversation within the characters, while also just crafting outfits that look nice spinning around the stage, lit lovingly by lighting designer Elizabeth Griffiths.
No one in Dead Rock alternates between these two modes as neatly as Polly Baker. The tomboy is a neglected character type for the position of main love interest in favor of more coquettish, demure types, but Jackson draws a line between Polly’s innate grace and her undeniable spunk without compromising either. And we see in Polly a microcosm for what this blending of footlight romance and grassroots salt-of-the-earthiness has to offer. Music is the one space where even a rough-and-tumble cowgirl can admit she wants “Someone to Watch Over Me.” (Special shoutout also to Lauren Billings as Irene, the shrill “fiancé” to Bobby, who heel-turns midway through the second act from Jean Hagen in Singin’ in the Rain to Rita Hayworth in Gilda.)
A show like Crazy For You lives or dies on its dance numbers, and this is another area where this show excels. Ever seen garden rakes or hoes used as dance props? Now you know where you can. Choreographer Rebecca Boberg consistently supplies the show with thrilling arrays of dance. I genuinely felt frustrated that there wasn’t a larger audience at my Saturday night showing to see what this crew put together for “Slap that Bass,” the Act I showstopper.
Director/Music Director Allison Books understands just how naturally these elements sit next to one another, given the chance. Again, Bobby doesn’t really discover anything that wasn’t already there in the town of Dead Rock. But in bringing the town together, he does help them find some things that they had forgotten. As the show reaches a crisis, Polly rouses the townsfolk by reminding them all the good they’ve gained by coming together for this production. “We work together, we hope for things!” That’s what theater does, it fosters community—and does anyone really know that better than the smalltown folk?
The lead couple may or may not be together by the time the show ends, you’ll have to see for yourself, but Crazy for You itself culminates with a perfect marriage of the Broadway dazzle and Mid-Western spirit—these two things have been complementary agents all along. It’s nothing lovers of the arts haven’t known for a long time, but what a relief it is when you see that someone else gets it.
But don’t take my word for it. Grab a seat at the SCERA Shell Theater in Orem (or bring a blanket—this is an outdoor theater, they’re flexible like that) and check out Crazy For You while it’s playing through July 20.
SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater presents Crazy For You by Ken Ludwig.
SCERA Park, 600 South 400 East, Orem, UT 84058
July 8-9, 11-13, 15-16, 18-20 2024 8:00 PM.
Ticket Prices: $12-20
Contact: 801-225-ARTS
SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater Facebook Page
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 PM
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