This Gershwin musical is a zany rich-boy-meets-hometown-girl romantic comedy opening November 9th at the Carnegie Library and Music Hall in Carnegie.
Crazy For You® tells the story of young New York banker Bobby Child (Chad Elder), who was sent to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a rundown theatre. In Deadrock, Bobby falls for spunky Polly Baker (Maggie Smith), the theatre owner’s daughter. But Polly takes an instant dislike to the city slicker, so Bobby vows – through cunning, razzmatazz, and a hilarious case of mistaken identity – to win Polly’s heart and save the theatre. Memorable Gershwin tunes from the score include “I Got Rhythm,” “Naughty Baby,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “Embraceable You,” “But Not for Me,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
Elder (as Bobby Child) is no stranger to the art of dance performance – this role seemed to be a natural fit. “Before I ever got into singing or playing any instruments, or acting, or thinking about theater, I started with dance,” says Chad.
Dusting off their tap shoes, Bobby, Polly, and the cast are deep into rehearsals for this dance-heavy 1930s-style spectacle. His co-lead, Maggie Smith (as Polly Baker), has deep roots in dancing and in the Carnegie’s theater community- her mother, Mary Kay Smith, co-directed many musicals at Carlynton High School, and Maggie and her siblings were all involved. “When we were little, my Mom would bring me and my brothers and sisters to rehearsals. “We would watch every show, memorize every song and every dance. Those high-school kids were movie stars to us.” It wasn’t long before Maggie made her way to the stage as a youngster, eventually playing lead roles in her high school productions. She feels a special tie to her character, Polly. “It’s kind of perfect because Polly also has this special tie to the family theater and talks about how she is so enamored with (it). That’s exactly how I grew up.” Chad (Bobby) feels ties to his character, too, who loves dancing and performing and goes to lengths to fulfill his dreams- “It feels really exciting to come back to a role of someone who is a dancer at heart and has a dream to be a dancer and be on the stage.” says Chad.
Director Art Deconciliis shares the sentiment. “The production team has been great- everybody is – it’s so relaxed. We’re carrying our own loads, so to speak, but we all know that we have each other’s back. There is this wonderful collaboration…experimentation. That collaboration is really enjoyable. I experience that every time at Stage 62, and that is what makes me come back.” he says. “With this cast- it’s a very good environment.”
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Stage 62’s production of the Gershwin classic Crazy for You is directed by Art DeConciliis and produced by Haley Hiller, with music direction by Andrew Peters.
Performances are November 9-19, 2023, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 PM | Sundays at 2:00 PM at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA 15106
For tickets, visit: https://www.purplepass.com/#260491/Stage_62-Crazy_for_You-Andrew_Carnegie_Free_Library_&_Music_Hall-November-09-2023.html
Categories: Show Previews
Leave a Reply