Derby Youth Musical Theatre Presents Crazy For You At Derby Theatre Review

Reviewed by Katy Nettleton

Derby Youth Musical Theatre Presents Crazy for You at Derby Theatre from Thursday 10th November to Sunday 13th November.

What an owe inspiring production, with voices and acting which would not be out of place on the West End!

This may be marketed as an “amateur production” however there was nothing amateur about it, the music, the actors, dancing, lighting and staging was pure brilliance, and you would not have not known from the quality of singing and the portrayal of the story through music and dance was anything but delivered by a seasoned team of professionals.

The story followed the path of Bobby Child (played expertly by Billy Sweet) who was seeking to live his dream and perform on stage, and through this journey of discovery and rejecting his position within the family business he found his one true love, Polly Baker (beautifully portrayed by Emma Cook). However, it was not quite as easy as that, he took an unruly turn in his wish to gain Polly’s heart whilst realising his dream of performing on stage and impersonated the phenomenal and impressionable Bela Zangler, the gatekeeper to successful theatres (performed by Will Evans).

The show was full of belly laughs, oohs, and aahs, with slap stick humour in the form of the Bobby Child and Bela Zangler getting drunk together, with plenty of tumbles and mirroring drinking. This was just one scene that stood out to us as being a true reflection of the professionalism of the cast and attention to detail, to bring a story alive. A special mention goes to Moose (played by Max Wilde) as his portrayal was pure brilliance, it gave us the sense that he was oblivious to his own humour.

As it’s a musical, it would be difficult not to mention to amazing singing, we do not think there was one voice which was out-of-place, with depth in vocals and clear dialogue at all times. The way in which the songs blended together, across the 31 strong cast aged between 14 and 26 was brilliant. It was brilliant to see so many being given the opportunity to dance and sing, to a high standard, with smiles on their faces. You could tell they were enjoying themselves and this was evident by the way in which the audience engaged with each scene.

The dancing was brilliant, the choreography and portrayal of the story was brilliant. Our favourite part was the incorporation of the music into the dancers with plates, and corrugated roof metal (or it looked like this!) was pure genius, and alongside the acoustics of the theatre it brought the scene to life, with you thinking you were watching in the street. The music was timeless, and got us tapping our toes and nodding our heads along!

We did not know anyone in the cast, and honestly it did not matter. The show maybe seen as young budding actors and performers but to us, they were professionals providing the audience with an amazing evening of humour, happiness and fond memories.

We cannot express in words the pure innocence and enjoyment the show brought to us, and showcasing local talent which we are sure will have a strong future in musical theatre.

Derby Youth Musical Theatre is voluntary led, with all the team volunteering time to bring the show to life. Their biggest income is from ticket sales, and you would not be disappointed in supporting the next generation of local talent through taking the time to watch such a professional and highly engaging musical.

Rating: Overall this is 5 out of 5 and we would recommend the show to anyone who admires strong voices, acting and dancing, whilst loving to embrace the 1930s.

Tickets cost from £16.50

For more information or to book tickets please visit Crazy For You – Derby Theatre