By Tina Hawley
Every once in a while, a body just needs a chance to forget all her problems, kick back, and enjoy a good loud laugh. Heritage Community Theater’s production of Crazy for You provides just that. Written by Ken Ludwig, and with a toe-tapping score from the well-known pair George and Ira Gershwin, this play is a straight-up side-slapping comedy that will send you out grinning like an idiot and still chuckling.
The Heritage Community Theatre used to be a church, and the small stage creates a casual, intimate atmosphere, especially with the actors using the aisles during the show. I loved being so close to the stage, and set designers and backdrop artist Brianna Taylor, Cayde Taylor, and Dianna Farr made great use of the reduced space with clever movable sets and flippable posters that switched glittering New York City to deadbeat Deadrock, Nevada in a snap.
The story begins with rich boy and aspiring dancer Bobby Child (played by Joe Olson) when, after a failed audition to join the famous dancing troupe Zangler’s Follies, he takes the chance to escape his overbearing fiancé Irene (Samantha Anderson-Merkley) by doing his equally overbearing mother (Jennifer Wallis Christensen) a favor: travel to Deadrock, Nevada and foreclose on a theater on behalf of the family bank. As soon as he arrives though, he falls for the theater owner’s daughter Polly Baker (Elizabeth Jensen), only to lose her when she finds out Bobby’s in town to take her father’s theater. Desperate to win Polly back–and accomplish something worthwhile for once in his life–Bobby disguises himself as Mr. Zangler of Zangler’s Follies and embarks on a hilarious mission to put on the best dance show Deadrock has ever seen, save Polly’s theater, and hopefully get back the girl of his dreams in the process. His mission is complicated, however, by a greedy saloon owner, the arrival of Bobby’s fiancé, and the fact that Polly is slowly falling in love with his Zangler persona instead of him! Everything is compounded when the proper British tourist sisters Eugenie and Patricia Fodor (played by Rachel Hunt and Makayla Thornley) are the only ones to show up on opening night, and only want to review the hotel saloon. Can Bobby straighten things out and save the theater before it’s too late?
Crazy for You has a small cast, but each character is distinct and wonderfully memorable. Olsen is delightful as he bounces between the youthful, enthusiastic Bobby and Zangler’s zany accent and scruffy mustache. Jensen’s powerful voice lilts beautifully through Polly’s several solos, and her tough love with the cowboys and her father creates a strong female lead. Justin Beecher’s loud and overbearing antics as the saloon owner Lank Hawkins steal the show whenever he’s onstage, and his chemistry with Anderson-Merkley as Irene in the song “Naughty Baby” is more than a spark.
The Follies Girls join Bobby in Deadrock to help him pull off the show, which requires training the local cowboys in the finer arts of dance. You can easily imagine how that starts off! Sheri Riser as Tess and Sydney Lowe as Patsy lead the dancing girls in plenty of romps, and the cowboy Moose (Demetrius Price) plays a fantastic string bass solo in “Slap that Bass” that surprises everyone. The chorus members are energetic and constantly on the move every moment they’re on stage; it’s clear they’re having a blast with this production, and their enthusiasm is contagious.
Dan Murdock plays Polly’s father Everett to an endearing T, drawing sympathy and a chuckle every time he moons over his late wife. When the real Zangler arrives on the scene at the end of Act One, Dave McKenzie does the bewildered Hungarian dance director perfectly, drawing laugh after laugh, particularly during his drunken duet with Olsen in “What Causes That,” where their inebriated mirroring of each other only adds to the hilarity.
According to the director’s note, most of the cast are new to tap dance, but you’d never know it by their performance. Co-directors Brianna Taylor (choreographer) and Jennifer Hunsaker (music director) have really made this show shine with creative choreography and prop use. I especially loved the use of pickaxes in “I Got Rhythm.” Quinton Geilman’s fight choreography also shows through in the cowboys’ entertaining “historical reproductions” of famous Wild West fights. Samantha Merkley’s costumes are creative and colorful, especially the Follies’ many dance uniforms, and they really add a sense of fun to each musical number. It really felt like watching classics like Singing in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz.
Crazy for You is a simple delight, full of laughs, rollicking musical numbers, great dancing, and clever zingers that will make you want to say: “You want some ice for that burn, Lank?” Bring your whole family up to Perry to enjoy a sweet romance, catchy music, and the chance to laugh until you cry. I grinned from beginning to end, and I bet you will too.
Heritage Community Theatre Presents Crazy for You, Book by Ken Ludwig, Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Heritage Community Theatre, 2505 S Highway 89, Perry, Utah 84302
August 24-September 15, 2018, 7:30 PM, Matinees Aug 25 and Sept 1 at 2:30pm
Tickets: $12 Adult, $10 Senior and Children 12 and under (children under 4 and babes in arms not permitted)
Contact: 435-723-8392, heritagetheatreutah@heritagetheatreutah.com
Heritage Community Theatre Facebook Page
Crazy for You Facebook Event
Sounds like a great show. Nice review, Tina Hawley.