(Will Burton and the cast of Goodspeed’s Crazy For You. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

by Tim Leininger

EAST HADDAM — Goodspeed Musicals has developed a trend over recent years of having one of the shows of their season be relatively new but have a link to the classic musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. They have continued this tradition this year with an overall satisfying production of Crazy For You, with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, book by Ken Ludwig, choreographed by Kelli Barclay, and directed by Michael Fling. It is running through Aug. 16 at the Goodspeed Opera House at 6 Main St.

Last season, Goodspeed staged a production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and in 2023 produced a stage version of Summer Stock. Both musicals’ films came out in the early 1950s, but White Christmas (1954) wasn’t adapted into a stage show until 2000 and Goodspeed’s production of Summer Stock (film version was released in 1950) was a premiere — a premiere that deserves to be developed for a Broadway run. Crazy For You is the third time in four years that Goodspeed has gone to this well and so far, continues to work. The musical (originally produced in 1992) is a loose adaptation of the 1943 film Girl Crazy, which in turn was an adaptation of the 1930 stage musical of the same name.

(Brittany Zeinstra and Will Burton in Goodspeed’s Crazy For You. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

All three musicals follow similar plots. A motley crew of performers from New York visit a small town where there’s a struggling venue of some sort, be it an inn (White Christmas), a farm (Summer Stock), or in Crazy For You’s case a dilapidated theater, and they help revitalize the space by putting on a show. There is always a leading male and female who are at odds at the top of the show and fall in love despite themselves causing them to address their conflicts and grow. There is always a quirky supporting couple who bring a bit of comic relief, and some antagonistic capitalist looking to take over the property. Sure, it’s formulaic, but it’s a formula that has kept working for 100 years.

In Crazy For You, we have Bobby Child (Will Burton), the son of a wealthy banking family, currently headed by his domineering Mother (Michele Ragusa). Bobby’s dream is to become a performer at the Zangler Follies (an obvious nod to Florenz Ziegfeld). Bela Zangler (Edward Juvier) has no time for him, and Mother wants Bobby to go to Dead Rock, Nevada where he is expected to foreclose on the dilapidated Gaiety Theatre. Instead of closing the deal on the theater, he decides he’s going to save it, enlisting the help of his dancer friends from New York as well as the locals of Dead Rock to whom he endears himself. The two exceptions are Polly Baker (Britany Zeinstra) the daughter of Everett Baker (Jeremy Davis), the owner of the establishment, and Lank Hawkins (David Andrew Morton) the local saloon/inn owner who wants to expand his business on the property of the theater.

(David Andrew Morton and Hailey Thomas in Goodspeed’s Crazy For You. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

Bobby falls for Polly, though she wants nothing to do with him since he represents the bank looking to foreclose the property, so he disguises himself as Zangler, whom she immediately falls for. Meanwhile, Bobby’s fiancé Irene Roth (Hailey Thomas) follows him to Dead Rock and falls for Lank.

It’s all rather silly, and Ludwig captures the spirit of the musicals of yesteryear with quick witted comedic barbs tossed between rivals. Coupled with the Gershwin’s classic hits like “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Embraceable You,” “I Got Rhythm,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” the musical has a lot of the feel good, light, family friendly comedy.

(Will Burton and the cast of Goodspeed’s Crazy For You. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

And there’s dancing. Lots of dancing, with so much tap that only Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, would ask for more. I’m sure it is part of Ludwig’s meta humor to have as much tap dancing as there is in this show, but even I, who loves tap dancing, felt that the story could have used a bit more diverse dancing. That’s not a slight at Ms. Barclay, as her choreography is engaging, energetic, and electric, with a surefooted ensemble to make it work. I think, in its attempt to homage a genre of musical, Ludwig oversteps himself with not enough variety in the dance numbers.

Michael Fling directs a capable cast. Burton is appropriately wide-eyed and naïve as Bobby, while Zeinstra gives Polly a worldly cynicism. The two aren’t the best paired couple I’ve seen in a show like this. Sometimes Polly’s animosity toward Bobby comes on hard enough that the sexual tension between the two doesn’t quite land. Some of this has to do with the book, though, as a large chunk of the musical has Bobby in disguise as Zangler, so the two don’t have much genuine growth between each other through a large chunk of the story. What we get in exchange is a hilarious scene that homages the classic mirror scene, maybe most memorably done in The Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup. Zangler shows up in Arizona, dehydrated, and gets drunk. Bobby, who is also drunk, disguised as Zangler, play out the mirror sequence together, which was excellently executed.

(Jeremy Davis, Michele Ragusa, Colin Bradbury and the cast of Goodspeed’s Crazy For You. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

The rest of the cast is good. I love Thomas and Andrew Morton’s chemistry. The two of them are delightful as Irene and Lank. A hidden gem in the ensemble is Taylor Lane, who is delightfully dynamic as Tess, the ringleader for the chorus girls.

Goodspeed may have a thing for musicals like Crazy For You, and that’s fine. There are theaters that excel at these kinds of shows, and Goodspeed is one of them. Does it risk becoming too stock and trade? Sure. But it hasn’t happened yet. It isn’t the best of the bunch, that remains with Summer Stock, but Crazy For You is a delightful night of light family musical comedy.

TICKETS: www.goodspeed.org

PRODUCTION

Music & Lyrics by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin; Book by Ken Ludwig; Co-conception by Ken Ludwig & Mike Ockrent; Inspired by Material by Guy Bolton & John McGowan; Originally produced on Broadway by Roger Horchow & Elizabeth Williams; Original Broadway Choreography by Susan Stroman; Directed by Michael Fling; Choreographed by Kelli Barclay; Music Direction by Adam Souza; Scenic Design by Ann Beyersdorfer; Costume Design by Joseph Shrope; Lighting Design by Paige Seber; Sound Design by Jay Hilton; Wig, Hair & Makeup Design by Mary Lee;  Orchestrator: Ryan O’Connell; Associate Music Director: David Kidwell; Casting by Hardt Casting; Production Stage Manager: Chris Zaccardi; Director of Production: Endla Burrows; Production Manager: Dominick J. Pinto; Associate Artistic Director: Michael Fling; General Manager: Gretchen Wright

CAST (in order of appearance)

Taylor Lane as Tess

Katie Scarlett Brunson as Patsy

Will Burton as Bobby Child

Edward Juvier as Bela Zangler

Kelly Gleason as Mitzi

Claire Avakian as Louise

Kailee Regan Brandt as Betsy

Courtney Brady as Vera

Hailey Thomas as Irene Roth

Michele Ragusa as Mother/Patricia

Willie Clyde Beaton II as Perkins

Bradley Gibbins-Klein as Moose

Griffin Wilkins as Pete

Brian Shimasaki Liebson as Sam

Samuel Colina as Custus

Willie Clyde Beaton II as Jimmy

Colin Bradbury as Harry/Eugene

Brittany Zeinstra as Polly Baker

Jeremy Davis as Everett Baker

David Andrew Morton as Lank Hawkins

Ensemble: Claire Avakian, Willie Clyde Beaton II, Colin Bradbury, Courtney Brady, Kailee Regan Brandt, Katie Scarlett Brunson, Samuel Colina, Bradley Gibbings-Klein, Kelly Gleason, Taylor Lane, Brian Shimasaki Liebson, Griffin Wilkins