NOTHING CRAZY ABOUT
LOVING THIS SHOW

This joyful revival
earns every smile

Will Burton and cast

I admit that I am crazy for Crazy For You, and this feel-good production is quite a delight in Connecticut at the Goodspeed Opera House (now celebrating its 150th anniversary). This merry 1992 musical is a solid, splashy audience-pleaser, stuffed with swell old songs by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin—some of which segue into extended, high-energy tap-dancing numbers choreography by Kelli Barclay. The solid cast and sparkling orchestra led by Adam Souza embrace the flavor of the material and the period. Under Michael Fling‘s assured direction, there’s a bit of winking here and there at musical comedy conventions, clichés, and oh-so-convenient coincidences without even a whiff of condescension. It’s pure fun to tickle one’s fancy, even if you know what’s coming.

Will Burton

In Ken Ludwig’s post-Gershwin-era script, Bobby (Will Burton, a buoyant package of skills) wants to be hired as a song-and-dance man in New York City but ends up as a song-and-dance man in Deadrock, Nevada, where he’s been sent to foreclose on a failing theater. It just happens to sit beside a saloon (Ann Beyersdorfer‘s set earns a “bravo!”), and he just happens to fall in love at first sight with someone who just happens to be the only woman in town. This feisty postmistress, Polly (Brittany Zeinstra), is also a part-time performer in the theater. She’s played with a winning mix of soft-heartedness and brittleness, resisting Bobby’s romantic advances before falling instead for the man who introduces himself as Broadway producer Mr. Zangler—not realizing it’s Bobby in disguise. Soon, chorus girls arrive from New York, Bobby’s fiancée (Hailey Thomas) appears unexpectedly, and the plot twists and musical numbers pile up.

Edward Juvier and Will Burton

The non-musical highlight of the show comes at the beginning of the second act in a wonderfully long scene where the actual Zangler (Edward Juvier) and Bobby, disguised as Zangler, drunkenly perform the mirror routine, most famously done by the Marx Bros. in Duck Soup (1933), culminating with a perfect climactic pun.

David Andrew Morton and Hailey Thomas

Brittany Zeinstra, Will Burton, and cast

The songs originated in a variety of earlier stage and film musicals, so some feel more naturally integrated than others. But the opportunity to hear such a wealth of Gershwin classics outweighs any occasional shoehorning. Even a purist may simply shrug and borrow the title of one of the brothers’ songs that isn’t included: “Who Cares?”

Brittany Zeinstra and Will Burton

Will Burton and cast

Musical highlights include the big company numbers “Slap That Bass,” “The Real American Folk Song Is a Rag,” and, as you’d expect, an all-stops-out “I Got Rhythm.” As much as I was enjoying myself, I still had some quibbles. I wish more time had been spent on “Bidin’ My Time.” Its appealing lazy-tempo harmonies disappear so quickly, and it’s refreshingly different from the caffeinated showstoppers. Enthusiastic performers are saddled with playing played-out stereotypes: the screechy-voiced dumb blonde, the uptight lady who suddenly becomes a trampy vamp, and cookie-cutter tough guys.

The cast of Goodspeed’s Crazy For You

Jeremy Davis, Michele Ragusa, and Colin Bradbury

However, there is plenty to enjoy, including some nice (but too-brief) moments by Jeremy Davis as Polly’s father, athletic dancing that is joyful without feeling exhausting, sharp comic delivery, and buckets of charm all around. It’s a welcome mix of material from the composer-lyricist siblings whose work has been entertaining audiences for over 100 years.

Brittany Zeinstra

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photos by Diane Sobolewski

Crazy For You
Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St. in East Haddam, Connecticut
Wed-Sun (check performance times)
ends on August 16, 2026
for tickets (starting at $30), call 860.873.8668 or visit Goodspeed

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