Crazy For You

Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as “The New Gershwin Musical Comedy”, it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 production, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well. Crazy for You won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Musical.

The Broadway production was directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Susan Stroman. After 10 previews,

it opened at the Shubert Theatre on February 19, 1992 and ran for 1,622 performances. The cast included Jodi Benson as Polly, Harry Groener as Bobby Child, Bruce Adler as Bela Zangler, John Hillner as Lank Hawkins, Michele Pawk as Irene Roth, Jane Connell as Mother, Beth Leavel as Tess (Leavel also understudied Benson), Ronn Carroll as Everett Baker, and Stephen Temperley and Amelia White as Eugene and Patricia Fodor. The Manhattan Rhythm Kings played cowboys Mingo, Moose, and Sam, singing in their trademark close harmony.

In Crazy For You, a stage-struck New York playboy, Bobby Child, is sent to a small, poor town in Nevada to close down the local theater. Soon Bobby falls in love with the theater owner’s daughter, Polly. In order to save the theatre, he dreams up the idea to put on a show to raise money for the theatre. In the end, the town is reinvigorated, the theatre is saved and Bobby finds love.