"Crazy for You"

August 16, 2016 — Summer theaters in New Hampshire have been drawing large crowds this season, which I'm pleased to see. The downside of this is that good seats are hard to come by unless you reserve way in advance. I usually wait for a good weather report before making my reservation because I like to drive on sunny days and stroll around the attractive towns most of the theaters are located in. Because of this, I've had to settle for less than the best seats several times this summer.

The 84-year-old New London Barn in New London, New Hampshire is a small, intimate theater where no seat is too far from the stage, but the view is partially blocked by posts supporting the balcony in a few locations. On my recent trip there the best seat I could secure was ten rows back from the stage, and the low hanging bslcony made it necessary to scrunch down in my seat when actors were hoisted onto other actors shoulders, or climbed onto ladders and other props, as they frequently did in this night's production, and their heads were hidden by the edge of the balcony. Also, a post, although thin enough so that it didn't block my view, still stood directly in the center of my field of vision and proved very annoying. Overall, it was about the worst seat I can ever remember.

However, none of these seating deficiencies spoiled my enjoyment of "Crazy for You," a new musical with book by Ken Ludwig and music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin. It's based on the Gershwins' 1930 musical, "Girl Crazy," with songs from several of their other productions. Directed and choreographed for the Barn by Keith Coughlin, the show featured an energetic young cast with some fine voices and great dance moves. The play contains some of the Gershwins' best and most familiar songs, like "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm," "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and others.

Bobby Child (Matt Gibson) is bored with his job as a banker and fancies himself an entertainer. He can't get a break from musical producer Bela Zangler (Matthew Patrick Quinn) who thinks Bobby is talentless. When Bobby's mother (Sara Schoch) sends him to Deadlock, Nevada, to see if he can find a way to get payments on their theater mortgage to resume before the bank has to foreclose, he abandons his fiancee, Irene (Veronica Burt) and travels to Deadlock, where he's immediately smitten by attractive theater manager Polly (Laura Sky Herman). But Polly rejects him as soon as she learns he's from the bank. But when Bobby learns Polly is an admirer of Bela Zangler, he puts on a wig and false beard and poses as the producer.

A slim plot, but with some great Ken Ludwig comic moments. Bobby's deception is eventually revealed, all is forgiven, Polly's theater is saved, all's well that ends well. There, I've given away the entire story, but it doesn't matter. The music and dancing is the reason you go to a show like "Crazy for You," and the New London Barn delivers. Supporting the aforementioned actors is a large, excellent cast of singers and dancers. At the end of the show, the entire cast lines up on the Barn's porch and greets departing patrons, a nice touch.