Crazy for You: Youth Edition
Musical
Writers:Ken Ludwig George Gershwin Ira Gershwin Gus Kahn Desmond Carter
Overview
Synopsis
Crazy for You: Youth Edition was adapted from Crazy for You the “new Gershwin musical comedy” with a book by famed comedic playwright Ken Ludwig. It is the classic tale of a boy, a girl, and a theater in need of salvation. Stage-struck Bobby Child works as a banker for his overbearing mother, Lottie, but spends his off hours practicing dance routines and sneaking in to audition for Zangler’s Follies, the most popular show in New York City, helmed by Bela Zangler, a temperamental Hungarian producer. Unfortunately, Bobby’s showbiz career is going nowhere and his strident fiancee is insisting that he name the date, so when Lottie demands that he investigate a far-away customer who has defaulted on a mortgage, Bobby jumps at the chance to get out of town. Arriving in hot, quiet Deadrock, Nevada, Bobby falls for Polly Baker, the sweet and sturdy postmistress, whose father happens to own the beautiful, but decaying, Gaiety Theater, which he has been sent to seize.
Now lovestruck, Bobby comes up with a plan: call in his friends, the Follies Girls, all the way from New York City, cast the locals-- a bunch of rundown cowboys with latent musical talent--and put on a show to save the old building. Polly falls in turn for the enthusiastic young man, but feels angry and betrayed when she discovers that he comes from the bank. In order to spend time with the furious Polly, Bobby disguises himself as Bela Zangler of Zangler’s Follies, all the better to produce and direct. But while “Zangler” is talking up Bobby to the unsuspecting Polly, Polly is falling for the impersonation of dashing, European Zangler…. and when the real Zangler arrives in town, chasing Tessie, his beloved dance captain, things really get “Crazy!”
With a fast-paced and light-hearted script by Ludwig, and a collection of the most beloved tunes of George and Ira Gershwin, including the day-dreamy “I Can’t Be Bothered Now”, the catchy, high-energy “Slap That Bass”, and the plaintive, romantic “Someone to Watch Over Me”, Crazy for You is a truly delightful homage to the beloved, optimistic musicals of the 1930s: a world of showgirls and cowboys, in which a city boy and a country girl reconcile their differences, fall in love, and save a theater, the old-fashioned way.
Show Information
- Book
- Ken Ludwig
- Music
- George Gershwin
- Lyrics
- Ira Gershwin , Gus Kahn , Desmond Carter
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- New York City, And Deadrock, Nevada
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Recording
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Middle School, Elementary School, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA), Mostly Female Cast, Includes Child, Early Teen, Late Teen Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Crazy for You, billed as the “new Gershwin Musical Comedy”, with a book by Ken Ludwig, opened on February 19, 1992, at the Shubert Theater in New York City. It ran for 1,622 performances. Directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Susan Stroman, it featured Harry Groener as Bobby Child, Jodi Benson (of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” fame) as Polly Baker, and Bruce Adler as Bela Zangler. The show garnered a Tony Award for Outstanding Musical, as well as Tony Awards for Best Choreography
to read the context for Crazy for You: Youth Edition and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Backstage at the Zangler Theater, the atmosphere is bustling: stagehands run back and forth, dance captain Tess drills four girls in a routine, and onstage the deafening applause heralds the exiting row of spangled, feathered Follies Girls. Tess and her colleague Patsy are worried: they are expecting Bobby Child, an enthusiastic young hopeful, to catch Zangler at the theater for an audition, and he is very late. Bobby comes running in, still in his banker’s suit, but armed with tap shoes on his
to read the plot for Crazy for You: Youth Edition and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
|
|
|
Lead |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
|
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Female |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
Songs
- "K-ra-zy for You" (from Treasure Girl) – Bobby
- "I Can't Be Bothered Now" (from A Damsel in Distress) – Bobby, Follies Girls
- "Bidin' My Time" (from Girl Crazy) – Cowboy Trio and Cowboys
- "Entrance to Nevada" – Follies Girls and Cowboys
- "Someone to Watch Over Me" (from Oh, Kay!) – Polly
- "Slap That Bass" (from Shall We Dance) – Bobby, Pete, Patsy, Tess, and Chorus
- "Embraceable You" (from Girl Crazy) – Polly and Bobby
- "Tonight's the Night" – Chorus
- "I Got Rhythm" (from Girl Crazy) – Polly and Chorus
- "Stiff Upper Lip" (from A Damsel in Distress) – Eugene, Patricia, Bobby, Polly, and Chorus
- "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (from Shall We Dance) – Bobby
- "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (from A Damsel in Distress) – Follies Girls, and Bobby
- Finale – Chorus
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
References an era of book musicals written roughly between the 1940s and the 1960s.
A Broadway musical written and produced between 1943 and 1965.
Videos
Quizzes
Sorry! We do not currently have quizzes for this guide.
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Quote Analysis
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Guide Written By:
