CRAZY FOR YOU by George Gershwin Peter Tatlow looks at the UK amateur premiere by Nemcom Theatre Company at Wimbledon Gershwin's musical CRAZY FO R YOU had its UK amateur premiere when Ne mcom Theatre Company gave seven performances of the famous show at Wimbledon Theatre in October. Professionally it was not an immediate success. In Washington there was an estimated loss of half a million dollars in December 1991 but the show became an instilnt hit at the Shubert Theatre on BroadwilY in February 1992. The lavish BroadwilY production staged by Mike Ockrent won the Tony AWilrd for best musical and Tonys also went to Susan Stroman for her dazzling choreography and William Long for lavish costumes. The London West End production starred Ruthie Henshall ilnd Kirby Ward. It opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in IVlarch 1993 ilnd gained an Olivier Award for Stroman. ' When the West End production closed, the show went on tOllr to the main regional theatres, finishing in July 1997 at Ea.stboufl1c. Nemcom Theatre Company were then proud to announce they had got the UK amateur premiere. MUSIC AND PLOT Four of the George and Ira Ge rshwin numbers came from the 1930 musical GIRL CRAZY: "Could You Use Me", "I Got Rhythm", "Bid in' ]lily Time" and "But Not For Me". Another dozen or so numbers were added from other 10 Gershwin musicab to make up the vcry exciting and lavish CRAZY FOR YOU. Ken Ludwig's new book was an adaptation from Guy Bolton and John McGowan's script. The storyline is of wealthy young Bobby Child, sent by his mother to close Deadrock's theatre, the Gaiety, in I evada. In Deadrock, Bobby meets Polly Baker and fillls in love at first sight. To escape PoUy's anger at the possible closure of the local theatre, Bobby pretends to Bela Zangler, the New York impresario, .,nd comes up with the idea of putting on a show to raise money owed to his mother. Thus the seeds of comic are sown and the hilrvest is reaped to the full when the real Zangler comes into town. The tale of boy meeting girl in the Wild Wes t ends up happily with everYllOe with the one they love. CA$T There are 30 named parts in the cast together, with 10 chilracters playing iln asso rtment of minor roles. The lea ding man is Bobby Child, a young New Yorker in lo ve. with the theatre. It is a lilrge singing role with a lot of dancing. The lea ding lady is Polly Baker, postmistress at Dead rock, Nevada. She should be aged 25 to 33-ish, needs a strong voice and must be a competent dancer with tap. Above all, sh e has to be an excellent actress to COV(' .r just about every emohon. The show is abou t her discovery of \vomanhood (lnd sexual l'I.\vareness. Bela Zangler is an established New York impresd rio of Hungilrian descent. He plays 'Yvith ,In clCccnt, mu st look distingui shed, docs not need to danc e but should be a good mover. It is a good character part with some subtle comic moments. Irene Roth is a rich New York society debutante. She has to be ilttrilctive and must be able to wear clothes bea utifullv. This chi\l',1(ter h" s two sides: she is a hard -faced bitch of a woman used to her own WdY and the audience should then be shocked vvh en she signs in a passionate, sexual and alluring manner. Among the other principill singing roles me Eugene Fodor, an English tourist and Patricia Fodor, Eugene's sister. Compl eting the ten named chilracters are the mother, IvIrs Lottie Child, Bobby's business controlling p are nt and Perkins, the mother's business attendant. The ten Zangler Folli es Girls constantly change costume and must be strong tap and stage dancers. They dance many routines. Tess is the dance dir ector Zangl er's filvourite, Patsy is the showgirl with a high sp eaki ng voice and Mitzi is the principal dance r. The cowboys also tap and are all singers. The 30-strong cast is augmented by ten people playing chauffeur, stage hands, stage manager, show girls, lackeys, directors and New Yorkers. COSTUMES The period is 1930s and costumes were provided by Charles Alty. The costume bill is high and Nemcom Theatre Company set the show fees at a unique level. They revolved around the number of costumes per character and, as Polly and Bobby have at least seven ch.,nges, their show fee was £90. The Follies Girls and Irene paid £70 and the boys and other principals £60 each, with the rest paying £50 each. 11,'If of the fees were due before the auditions and the remainder it month after. Unsuccessful applicants got their money back. It"was, however, part of a carefully through-through scheme with £10 of the fees returned for every 20 full- price tickets sold by members through the society. The amateur theatre has many excellent incentives for ticket selling but [ venture to sugges t that one was unigue. Pe rhaps readers may prove me wrong on that score. ORCHESTRA Mention of score leads naturally to orchestrations, which are written for piccolos, flutes, clarinets, oboe, horn, sax, bassoons, trumpets, trombones, percussion, guitar banjo, strings and synthesizer. A keyboard part can be used for the violin and cello. The orchestriltion for "I Got Rhythm" for Polly and chorus is set for hubcaps, dustbins, sandpaper, saws, hammers and shovels, thus presenting props with a task' This show has got just about everything. The arc deven scenes in Act One Md five after the interval, set in BroildwilY theatres, street scenes, saloon bars ilnd the Gaiety Theatre in Deildrock. Special'ly designed scenery is available from Scenic Projects at Becdes. Their plan is for maximum flying rigs but advice will be given for adapting to smaller stages. The main set consists of four trucks/wagons with il number of painted backcloths and three sets of portals. T he wagons have been designed to turn, open and reverse in order to portray most of the major scenes in both Acts One and Two. Normally these wagons CM be stored Off-st.lge when not in use but where there is limited wing space they can be stored in the immediate space behind the false proscenium/ portals. The saloon doorway truck can be used as an exit and entrance. DEUMBER