Crazy for You (Chichester)- Page 2

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/22/22 at 4:32pm

Don't neglect My One and Only, one of the great out of town saves in theatre history. It had this very loose, anything goes quality that really resembled those anarchic 1920s Gershwin musical comedies. Great choreography, wild visuals, an oddball chemistry between Tommy Tune and Twiggy and sensational orchestrations. Probably my favorite of the three "new" Gershwin musicals.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 7/23/22 at 2:51pm

Charlie is a star!

Tony Z is a great dancer but just doesn’t have the same star power as Charlie. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 7/27/22 at 12:10am

On the surface, this is just another Nice Work, a silly story based on the real musical of that time and stuffed with a half dozen extra songs by the composer. Kelli O'Hara sings "Someone to Watch Over Me" while holding a shotgun.

I wonder why this one works?

I wonder if Susan Stroman enjoyed this project. Some people will accept any challenge. 

Kung Fu Panda in Macau? I wonder if there's a cast recording?

The five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman will bring her legendary talents, as director, to one of the most successful animated films of all time, Kung Fu Panda. DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda Spectacular Live is set to transform the entertainment landscape in Macau.  Performances are scheduled to commence in late December 2019 at The Venetian Theatre in Macau, with casting information and ticket details to be announced soon.
 

Updated On: 7/27/22 at 12:10 AM

[SoCalDirector]

Posted: 7/30/22 at 12:02pm

I just got back from an extended European vacation which included 5 West End/London shows and a side trip to Chichester to see Crazy For You which I saw three times.

Charlie Stemp is one of my favorite current stage performers.  I first saw him in Hello, Dolly! with Bernadette Peters and then again with Donna Murphy.  I was hooked.  It's not just that he is a great dancer and performer but he has this joyous charisma which radiates from the stage.   Before the pandemic I saw him in Mary Poppins in London.  I got to talk to him after the show and the sweetness and humility that left me swooning.  Literally, some man had to catch me as I turned to walk away.

Seeing him in Crazy For You was a must.   I love the town and the Chichester Festival Theatre.  I found out that Daniel Evans who I saw as George in the Sunday in the Park revival is now the Artistic Director there and also helmed South Pacific currently playing in London.  

I saw it from the front row and chatted with the woman next to me who is also a huge Charlie Stemp having seen him in his breakthrough role as Kipps in Half a Sixpence. Charlie was better than I could have imagined.  His dancing is a dream.  For those suggesting someone else as Bobby, there is no one who can touch his performance.  He is charming, silly, funny (his duet of What Causes That? is a highlight), handsome (those piercing blue eyes from the front row are something I never caught from far away) and electric,   He lights up that stage and at the age of 28 has more than risen to the most challenging role of his career.  Charlie is clearly the star and all three times the audience rose to their feet for a standing ovation when he took his bow.  With this post pandemic year and my move back east where I can seeing a Broadway show anytime I have seen 35 performances.   I would put Charlies up there in the top 5 and my personal favorite.

Everything about the show was excellent with the ensemble dancing being the other huge standout.  This is demanding choreography and they appeared to do it with ease while I know it wasn't.  While this was removed from London with a mostly older and perhaps completely white audiences there was diversity in casting.   Three of the six principal female actors were black and there was a variety of representation in the ensemble.

The rest of the cast is fine.  Carly Anderson as Polly could sing and dance very well, but I found she didn’t have the charisma to come close to Charlie.  Tom Edden, a Tony nominee for One Man/Two Guvnors, was fine as Zangler whose best moment was in his two Zanglers duet.

As it turned out I visited with a couple friends when I got home.  One of them did Crazy for You with Stro and is on the PBS recording.  She pointed out that two of the assistant choreographers had been involved with the show for a long time and worked with her.  The team certainly made the show dazzling. c

The CFT stage is a large thrust.   The show was staged for the proscenium for the most part.  While Beowulf Boritt’s set was created for that the direction was not.  I was on the side for the 2nd viewing, and you can’t seem a lot but backs and considering Charlie, I was ok with that.  Then with entire numbers were staged facing front starting mid stage the two sides were given less of a view than they deserved.   Of course, if the show transfer to the West End and/or Broadway the show will be fine, but I assume there might be some scenic alterations.  Reviews even stated that they were show that this production will be headed to the West End and Broadway.  One mentioned all of the people at press night who could make that happen. I can’t imagine that they brought the creative team over from the US to do just a summer production.  And Charlie took leave from his West End starring role to perform here.

New Promo

 

 

[Tag]

Posted: 7/30/22 at 11:17pm

Has Mother been changed to Grandmother, considering the age difference between Stemp and Gay Soper?

Updated On: 7/30/22 at 11:17 PM

[ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure]

Posted: 7/31/22 at 1:36pm

Mr. Wormwood said: "OlBlueEyes said: "On the surface, this is just another Nice Work, a silly story based on the real musical of that time and stuffed with a half dozen extra songs by the composer. Kelli O'Hara sings "Someone to Watch Over Me" while holding a shotgun.

I wonder why this one works?"

IMO, Crazy for You is far superior to Nice Work. Better script, better characters, better Gershwin song selection & better use of the songs in the story."

Pretty much this, yeah. Ludwig’s book has a lot more humor and charm while fluidly getting you to the songs rather than them just feeling plopped in like in Nice Work.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/2/22 at 4:53am

There are a few interesting things about this pamphlet advertising the excerpts to be shown almost a year ago in the Hamptons. It speaks of the Broadway revival as a done deal. Perhaps this is standard marketing tactic for a show only a little short of investments.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/2/22 at 8:38am

Tag said: "Has Mother been changed to Grandmother, considering the age difference between Stemp and Gay Soper?"


Nope. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/2/22 at 9:56am

There are a few interesting things about this pamphlet advertising the excerpts to be shown almost a year ago in the Hamptons. It speaks of the Broadway revival as a done deal. Perhaps this is standard marketing tactic for a show only a little short of investments. (sorry fell asleep before I finished this.)

https://www.guildhall.org/events/stroman-presents-a-weekend-celebration-with-broadways-celebrated-director-susan-stroman-im-crazy-for-you-a-sneak-peek-at-the-upcoming-revival-of-the-hit-show-crazy-for-you-starrin/

Susan had put so much work into getting this back on Broadway that even a very nice woman must have been upset when star walks in unvaccinated.

I hope Charley comes to Broadway, but Tony is gaining increasing respect for his talents.