London Theatre Review: Crazy For You

Think of the old-school greats like Mary Poppins and Oliver, you wouldn’t be far off to include Crazy For You in the same group. This is musical theatre at its very best, with talented performers who rightly earned a standing ovation before the interval!

Lead Charlie Stemp plays theatre-mad Bobby Child who is torn between his show-business dreams and running the family bank. He told GLT earlier this year that he burns at least three to four thousand calories a day when performing and it’s clear to see why. The 29-year-old is magnificent, a real natural who resembles a young Dick Van Dyke - and that’s not just because he played the part of Bert in London’s production of Mary Poppins. 

Stemp brings energy and charisma to an already wonderful company, leaping across the stage at any given opportunity, or tap dancing his way across the boards with ease. It’s hard to take your eyes off him, assisted by the brilliance of Susan Stroman’s groundbreaking routines which are just as spectacular now, as they were when the show first premiered on Broadway in 1992. 

Highlights of said routines range from the females of the cast shaping themselves into double basses (yes, you read that correctly!), or the men of the group tap dancing on metal sheets creating a mighty racket which only fuelled the excitement in the venue. The show’s most striking and memorable moments are always during a dance number which ooze class.

Crazy For You is escapism - exactly what a remarkable musical theatre performance should be.

These routines also include top comical moments, especially when Stemp teams up with Tom Edden (who plays Bela Zangler), in What Causes That. Bobby decides he must impersonate the famous Zangler to bring people to Nevada and save a small town theatre. When he comes face to face with the real deal after the pair have enjoyed too many drinks, the outcome is iconic.

Each movement is timed to perfection as Stemp and Edden recreate each other’s expressions as if they’re looking into a mirror. The ‘drunk’ duo are hysterical together due to the cutting edge timing that must have taken hours to get right in the rehearsal room. 

Carly Anderson, who plays Polly and Bobby’s love interest, radiates confidence. She makes Polly feisty, but shows a much more delicate side during two huge ballads (Someone To Watch Over Me and But Not For Me) which are delivered with spine-tingling conviction. She’s lively and a complete handful for other characters to deal with, but is an imperative cog in such a well-drilled machine which produced an evening to remember. 

Crazy For You is escapism - exactly what a remarkable musical theatre performance should be. The expression ‘something for everyone’ is overused but in this context there is no better way to describe the show.

It’s colourful, irresistibly funny and includes the right amount of foolishness to be enjoyed over and over again. You can put your Mary Poppins’ and your Oliver’s to one side for now, because this show is bound to send West End theatregoers crazy for more.