Reviewed by Judy Richter
With its memorable tunes,
opportunities for tap-dancing extravaganzas and an amusing boy meets girl,
etc., plot, "Crazy for You" is hard to resist. Songs by George Gershwin, with lyrics by his brother, Ira
Gershwin,
include such hummers as "Bidin' My Time," "Someone To Watch
Over Me,"
"Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It." Broadway By the Bay's production, directed by
artistic director Brooke Knight, makes a solid case for the show.
The
Gershwins never wrote a musical called "Crazy for You," but they did
create "Girl Crazy," a 1930 Broadway show with many of those tunes. Ken Ludwig subsequently updated the book and
made other adaptations that resulted in "Crazy for You," Tony Award
winner for best musical in 1992.
The
updated plot concerns a young New Yorker, Bobby Child (Steve Perez), who's much more interested in
becoming a dancer for impresario Bela Zangler (Steve Anthony) than tending to his family's
banking business. In a last chance of sorts, his mother, Lottie (Lois Lazich), sends him to Deadrock, Nev.,
to foreclose on an old theater. Deadrock is just about as awful as it sounds,
but when Bobby staggers into town, he meets Polly Baker (Melissa WolfKlain), who owns the theater with her
aging father, Everett (John Blatt). Bobby is immediately smitten with her, but she wants
nothing to do with him. Therefore, he disguises himself as Bela and gets the
whole town involved in producing a show to try to save the long-unused theater.
He even brings in a group of Bela's show girls to help out. Complications
ensue, but of course all works all well at the end.
Although
the choreography by Robyn Tribuzi is pleasant enough, it lacks the verve, inventiveness and
athleticism that have been the hallmark of many previous BBB shows. Musical
director Attilio Tribuzi, her husband, leads the excellent orchestra, but vocally the show
has some flaws, especially when it comes to pitch and blend. Pitch is a problem
for Perez, who otherwise is a likeable Bobby and terrific dancer. Blend and
pitch also are a problem for the Cowboy Trio in "Bidin' My Time" and
for the show girls in "Nice Work If You Can Get It."
As
usual, the fine sets and costumes are rented, with the sets coming from Starlight
Theater and the
costumes from the Theatre Company. Michael Ramsaur's lighting is outstanding, especially in numbers
like "Girls Enter Nevada," which shows the Zangler girls in silhouette
against a colorful sunset. The sound is by Bill Carrico, who seems to have overcome some
of the acoustical problems in the high school auditorium that doubles as the
San Mateo Performing Arts Center.
WolfKlain,
the cast's only Equity member, makes an appealing Polly. Also noteworthy are Mary
Kalita as Tess,
the dance captain and Erica Wyman as Irene Roth, Bobby's shrewish fiancee. The men playing
the cowboys seem to be locked into stereotypes as yokels.
Nevertheless,
when everyone is up there tap-dancing in unison to "I Got Rhythm,"
it's hard to stop smiling.
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