Drury Lane's 'Crazy for You' an escapist, tap-happy delight
How did brothers George and Ira Gershwin buck up the spirits of a despondent nation during the Great Depression? By penning a pantheon of catchy and soul-stirring song standards in a string of escapist musical comedies, of course.
You could argue that the Gershwins are still doing similarly effective work today, long after George died in 1937 and Ira in 1983. Election-weary audiences in need of an uplift should head to Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace to see the smashingly entertaining Gershwin-packed musical comedy “Crazy for You.”
A Tony Award-winning hit at its 1992 Broadway debut, “Crazy for You” is actually a total revamp of the Gershwins' 1930 show “Girl Crazy,” which introduced song classics such as “Embraceable You” and “I Got Rhythm.” Other Gershwin songs, including “Shall We Dance” and “Stiff Upper Lip” from their Hollywood films, were smartly inserted into Ken Ludwig's knee-slapping comic script, while “Crazy for You” also wowed audiences with inventive prop-filled choreography in the Broadway debut of Susan Stroman (“Contact,” “The Producers”).
At Drury Lane, Broadway veterans are front-and-center in “Crazy for You” with husband-and-wife team Clyde Alves and Robyn Hurder. They star as main characters Bobby Child and Polly Baker, and the chemistry between Alves and Hurder is palpable in director/choreographer Matthew Crowle's joyous staging.
Alves wows with his gymnastic loose-limb and fancy footwork in fantasy dance numbers such as “I Can't be Bothered Now” and “Nice Work if You Can Get it,” while Hurder shows off powerful vocal chops singing such pensive standards as “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “But Not for Me.” Alves and Hurder also dance up a storm together and with the show's talented comic ensemble in a parade of tap-happy production numbers.
“Crazy for You” centers around showbiz-loving banker Bobby (Alves), who is sent by his domineering mother, Lottie (Janet Ulrich Brooks), to foreclose on a dusty theater in the near-deserted Nevada mining town of Deadrock. Once there, Bobby falls held-over-heels in love with the distrusting Polly (Hurder), the only woman in town and daughter of theater owner Everett (Roger Mueller).
Bobby concocts a scheme to save the theater and to impress Polly. He disguises himself as eccentric Hungarian Broadway impresario Bela Zangler (Larry Adams) and imports a bevy of New York chorus girls to put on a show.
Comical complications ensue. Neighboring saloon owner Lank Hawkins (Rod Thomas) plots to buy the theater to expand his business, while pushy New York socialite Irene Roth (Erica Stephan) journeys to Nevada with marriage designs on Bobby.
Audiences may wish that designers Caitlin McLeod's period costumes and Jeffery D. Kmiec's backstage and Western sets were more lavish. In addition, Drury Lane's decision to make slight edits to the score is a cause for concern, while Mark David Kaplan and Holly Stauder's approximate British accents and outrageous country costumes are confusing as tourist siblings Eugene and Patricia.
But overall Drury Lane's “Crazy for You” is a sheer escapist delight. With so many remarkable performances of heavenly Gershwin tunes, don't be surprised if you find yourself quoting the lyrics: “Who could ask for anything more?”
“Crazy for You”
★ ★ ★ ½
Location: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, (630) 530-0111 or
Showtimes: Largely 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday; through Jan. 8. Schedule varies around the holidays.
Tickets: $45-$60
Running time: About two hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Parking: Free adjacent parking garage
Rating: For general audiences