Crazy for You is a big, flashy, aggressively cheerful musical that both mocks and pays affectionate tribute to the big, flashy, and aggressively cheerful movie musicals that made starts of Astaire and Rogers, among others. The dazzling production numbers succeed each other in a way that's as charming as it is predictable - and, in fact, the predictability itself becomes part of the joke. The sight gags and one-liners are as old as vaudeville itself, but when they're executed so smartly and with such energy it's hard not to laugh anyway.
Much of that energy comes from Kirby Ward as Bobby, the rich kid who just wants to sing and dance, and his real-life wife Beverly Ward as Polly, the feisty cowgirl who wins his heat. Kirby is a one-man dynamo who simply lights up the stage the moment he enters, and Beverly matches him with style and grace. Their dance numbers reminded me immediately of the classic Astaire/Rogers routines. And, like Astaire, Kirby Ward is also an accomplished physical comic - hardly surprising when you consider how similar the skills are.
The Wards are backed up by an energetic and talented cast, including John Curless as Eugene Fodor (of Travel Guide fame), Riette Burdick as the vamp Irene, Daren Kelly as the comic villain Lank, and Paul Keith as showbiz impresario Bella Zangler. Keith has a particularly funny "mirror" sequence with Kirby Ward in Act II that's a model of comic timing. Television veteran Ann B. Davis makes a strong impression as Bobby's dowager mom, and Cathy Susan Pyles and Joan Leslie Simms are a delight as the lead chorus girls, Tess and Patsy.
But some of the biggest stars of Crazy for You never appear on stage. In fact two of them - George and Ira Gershwin - were already dead when the show was written. Musical director Paul Gemignani has assembled an impressive collection of both hits ("Embracable You", "I Got Rhythm", and the title song) and relative obscurities ("The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag)", "I Can't Be Bothered Now", and "Stiff Upper Lip") from the Gershwins' career, most of which are used to accompany the spectacular dance routines devised by the other invisible star of the show - choreographer Susan Stroman. Her work here is a stunning tribute to the glitzy, athletic, and sophisticated dance styles of the classic movie musicals, particularly the work of Astaire and his frequent collaborator Hermes Pan.
Frankly, I can't imagine why any fan of musical theatre wouldn't enjoy Crazy for You, although seeing it does remind one of just how much giants like Astaire and Rogers will be missed.