Theater Review—

Another Fantastic Reworking Of ‘Crazy For You,’ This Time At Richter

By Julie Stern

DANBURY — In 1930 when America was mired in the misery of the Great Depression, the brothers George and Ira Gershwin came up with a new musical, Girl Crazy. Like other Depression-era hits, this was designed to lift the spirits of the audience via a mindlessly upbeat plot, frenetically happy dancing, and the immensely popular Gershwin songs.

Sixty years later, a Texas millionaire named Roger Horchow, who happened to be a huge Gershwin fan, sunk a sizeable piece of his fortune into staging a remake of the show. He hired Ken Ludwig and Mike Ockrent to rework the plot about a New York playboy and tap-dancing fool who winds up in a Nevada desert town where he falls in love with the local hoyden and helps her and the locals “put on a show,” Mickey Rooney style, in order to save her father’s theater from foreclosure by his mother’s bank.

Jettisoning the more dated humor and replacing it with one-line zingers, and beefing up the score with a collection of timeless Gershwin favorites – “Embraceable You,”  “Someone to Watch Over Me,”  “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,”  “Nice Work If You Can Get It,”  “But Not For Me,”  “Bidin’ My Time,” and “I Got Rhythm” – Ludwig and Ockrent came up with Crazy For You, a show that became a Broadway smash for over four years, winning just about every critical award in sight.

Susan Stroman did the choreography for the original 1992 production. Now Jen Turey, the owner of Dance Etc. School for Performing Arts in Newtown, is both directing and choreographing her own version at Richter Park, and the result is an evening of explosive, dazzling, joyful dancing that is all the more unbelievable because she gets such results from a company that consists largely of teenage amateurs.

Daniel Bayer and Jessica Esposito who have the lead roles of Bobby Child and Polly Baker. While these two deliver most of the songs yet were definitely not chosen for their singing voices, which are adequate at best, they more than compensate for this with their charm, wit and dancing ability. When Jessica, as country-girl Polly gets into a slamming match with Juliette Garrison (as Bobby’s would-be fiancée, Irene Roth) the sparks really fly. And Garrison, a long time MAR veteran, is really hot stuff in her vamp song, “Naughty Baby.”

Another standout is Newtown resident Stephen Petrovich, whose poise and presence make it hard to believe he is still only 14 years old. Playing Junior, one of the local yokels, his voice carries over the crowd and his eyes and smile light up the stage.

It is the overall effect of the entire cast of statuesque chorines and rowdy cowhands, however, that makes the production memorable. Whether it is a mock shootout in the saloon for the benefit of non-existent tourists, or, the show-stopping first act finale of “I Got Rhythm,” which sees girls turn into bass fiddles and pick-axes into giant swings, director Turey knows how to get 110 percent out of her actors, and the audience loves it.

Richter seems to have taken another step further toward professionalism with this production. As usual Dee and Don’s Costume Closet has provided outfits rich in coordinated color and detail. Set designer Reid Thompson has created an ambitious arrangement that swings between Broadway and the Nevada Desert, complete with various interiors, and the sound, under music director Kyle Nobles, is rich and skilled enough to do justice to Gershwin’s music.

(Performances run for just one more weekend – Friday and Saturday, July 5 and 6. Curtain is at 8:30, and the grounds open at 7:15 for picnics. Musicals at Richter is at 100 Aunt Hack Road; call 748-6873 for ticket details and reservations. Chair rentals are available in advance, or bring your own blanket or low chair.)