Who could ask for anything more?

The latest in an occasional series of theatre reviews...

Crazy For You : Gillian Lynne Theatre

A birthday trip out for me, accompanied by the lovely Mrs Reed - who had seen it the previous week and was, fortunately, quite happy to be returning.  I'm not a massive musicals fan, but I do like a classic revival and this had got great reviews (and yes, we're off to see Oklahoma! later in the year).

And very good it is too!  The plot is, obviously, a load of old nonsense with a town and a frustrated would-be dancer rich kid putting on a show to save the theatre - but that matters not one jot as they sing and dance their way through some classic show-tunes with infectious smiles on their faces such that you can't help be dragged along in their wake.

Charlie Stemp is excellent as Bobby Child, the frustrated dancer - the lad has a lot to do in this and doesn't put a foot or note wrong, also showing excellent comic timing in several scenes.  He's only 29 but he's been in the West End and Broadway for TEN years, appearing in Half A Sixpence, Hello Dolly! (on Broadway with Bette Midler) and Mary Poppins - I suspect he'll be around for a few more years yet!

Carly Anderson is also excellent as Polly Baker, the love interest - although, of course, she initially falls in love with Bobby when he's disguised as Bela Zangler (a theatre producer) because the course of true love is never allowed to run smooth in a musical!  Her voice is great, particularly when leading "I Got Rhythm" which is arguably the highpoint of the show - it's a massively impressive all-singing, all-dancing routine.

Other name-checks go to Tom Edden as the aforementioned Bela - it's more of a comical role than most and he plays it really well, particularly in "What Causes That?" which features him and Charlie in disguise doing excellent physical comedy including the obligatory mirror routine - another high point of the show for me.  Natalie Kassanga is also great as Irene, which is a woefully underwritten part except for "Naughty Baby" where she grasps her opportunity in the spotlight with both hands.

It's a surprisingly large cast (20 or so) and there are some fantastic skills on display, particularly if you like tap dancing.  There's a great bit during "I Got Rhythm" (which goes on for a long time!) where the tappers slide over corrugated metal sheets which is very effective.  There's also some ballet tap at one point - something I've never seen before and it's incredibly impressive, done on pointe (thanks to my eldest for educating me as to the extra "e" there).  Watching it, you're amazed that anyone ever thought of it - but think of it they have!  I'm also going to call out "Stiff Upper Lip" as the other highlight in the show for me with it feeling like everyone is on stage doing complex interlinking routines - I think you'd have to watch it considerably more times than even Mrs Reed has in order to catch it all.

It's well staged - because of the large number of people on stage at times, the scenery has to be be easily removed but it still features a couple of impressively large pieces representing the saloon and theatre which are both rotated and wheeled on and off many times.  There are also some neat touches that you don't notice until they happen - at one point, a couple of statues are replaced by dancers and I was very surprised when they started moving.

Mrs Reed surprised me by telling me this musical isn't nearly as old as you think it is - it debuted on Broadway in '92.  It's largely based upon Girl Crazy which was written in 1930 but borrows numbers from seven other Gershwin musicals - they've been stitched together very well.  In a neat touch, this revival is directed by Susan Stroman who choreographed the original production - it's fair to say she's had a decent career having won 5 Tony awards.  Wikipedia also tells me that the leads in the original production are best known these days for having played the mayor in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

One final thing before we go - an amusing coincidence for you.  The first time she went, Mrs Reed knew a friend was also going to be there - and when she rocked up Pippa was sat in the row behind her.  Chatting before the curtain went up, Mrs Reed mentioned she was going to be coming back next Wednesday with her husband - to which Pippa replied "So am I!".  She also gave us a recommendation for where to eat beforehand and it was delicious, so if you're going to the Gillian Lynne theatre, I can heartily recommend Hoa Sen with its very tasty Vietnamese food (thank you, Pippa!).

All in all, this is a thoroughly impressive and, most importantly, extremely enjoyable show - if you like a classic musical then you'll leave the theatre with a massive smile on your face whilst shaking your head at the skill involved.  It's also not sold out, so you'll still be able to get tickets if I've convinced you it's worth a look!

Nick Offerman - A very enjoyable evening
The Crucible - An impressive and enjoyable evening