Crazy For You

By George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and Ken Ludwig. John Curtin College of the Arts. Directed by Natalie Edmunds Pymar. Curtin Theatre, John Curtin College of the Arts, Fremantle, WA. May 21-24, 2025

Crazy For You was the second and final Year 10-12 Gifted and Talented Music Theatre Program Musicals for 2025, the first being The Addams Family, late last term. Each features a different group of students.

A newish show, reminiscent of Golden Age Musicals, it is very dance heavy and makes great use of its ensemble, and this production rose to the challenge.

The show switches between two locales - Broadway and Deadlock, Nevada, and the set designed by Rachel Eames and Ben Gates, allows this to happen smoothly. A bold lighting design by Ben Davis and Lawson Sullivan is unapologetically theatrical and the costumes designed by Lyndell Darch are simply stunning.

The show is accompanied by a live orchestra, mostly comprised of students, who play beautifully and take a post interval bow - a fabulous idea.

There are two casts, with the same group of students performing, but the lead roles swapping. This review is of the Wednesday and Friday Cast.

In many ways this is a star vehicle with leading man Bobby Child rarely offstage, and spending much of the show switching back and forth pretending to be Bella Zangler (a barely disguised Florence Ziegfield). Dempsey Francis owned this role in an outstanding performance, singing, dancing and acting superbly, with a natural charm that suited the role. He shared the role with Matt Ballantine, ably playing Harry on the night I viewed the show. Leading lady Polly Baker was superbly played by Kayla Brown, a very intelligent performance with lovely layers. She shared the part with Jaymi Cann.

Bobby’s fiancée, Irene, whom he is anxious to ditch, was played with spunk by Esther Lewington, nicely partnered eventually by cynical barman Lank, a wry Alex Wilkinson, who lifts this admittedly very slim actress like she weighs nothing.

Great maturity from those playing the older characters including Aidan Salta a funny but loving Everett Baker, Sasha du Pleases as a formidable Mrs. Child and Calum Blakemore as the “real” Balla Zangler. Peter-Paul Jacobs

And Neve Melville made the most of their brief appearances as Eugene and Patricia Fodor.

Eloise Smart played Dance Director and love interest for Bela Sanger. Tess, in a well-considered performance, while Nina Featherstone, peppy as Patsy lead a plethora of fabulously talented chorines.

The cowboys matched their female casemates for talent with special mention to trio Isaac Friedwald (Bingo), Zack Levi (Moose) and Ehrel Yedid (Sam) who sang well.

Dance numbers in this show, choreographed by the director Natalie Edmunds Pymar were some of the strongest I have seen in s school show, with Slap That Base being particularly clever and tap numbers beautifully precise.

Congratulations to all involved in this stellar production.

Kimberley Shaw