Pictured: Daniel Plimpton and members of the Crazy for You Company. Photo by by Sorcha Augustine.

Catch Asolo Repertory Theatre’s season-opening production of Crazy for You, before it’s gone this holiday season. The Tony-Award winning musical from Ken Ludwig, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, which runs through January 4 at the Asolo, is largely based on the songs from the Gershwin brothers’ 1930 musical Girl Crazy.

In Girl Crazy, protagonist Danny Churchill is sent to Arizona to manage his family’s ranch. Instead, Danny turns his family’s property into a dude ranch, importing Broadway showgirls as entertainment and attracting visitors from all over the country as he falls in love with the local postmaster, Molly Gray. In Crazy for You, Bobby Child, wealthy son of a banking family, is sent to Nevada to foreclose on an old, run-down theater. Upon arrival, however, Bobby falls in love with local girl Polly Baker and works to revitalize the town by staging a production at the run-down theater.

Crazy for You, which first premiered on Broadway in 1992, was conceptualized by producers Roger Horchow and Elizabeth Williams, who tabbed Ken Ludwig to write the book for a new version of Girl Crazy. With permission from the Gershwin family–Ira passed in 1983 and George in 1937–the production was set to be under way. During development, however, Crazy for You became its own musical and incorporated songs from across Gershwin's musical canon. The musical’s premiere in 1992 and subsequent win for Best Musical at that year’s Tony Awards was a hallmark moment for American theater, with the production being credited for the revival of the traditional Broadway musical.

An explosive, bombastic musical, Crazy for You had all the qualities that Asolo Repertory Theatre was looking for in a season opening production. “Crazy for You gives us fantastic comedy, great physical comedy and is such a celebration of the theater. It features some of the greatest classics from the American songbook, along with tap dancing, physical comedy and romance,” says Peter Rothstein, Producing Artistic Director at the Asolo. “It’s a celebration of what we do in the theater and the power of theater. We wanted to open with that, something that welcomes people, a big spectacle that celebrates the power of live performance.”

Box office: 941-351-800 / 800-361-83988, 5555 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

Pictured: Daniel Plimpton and members of the Crazy for You Company. Photo by by Sorcha Augustine.

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