Crazy For You At The Lyceum Sheffield Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Jenny Bray

Crazy For You is a musical that combines its storyline with both romance and some comedy alongside the songs. It originates from a book, written by Ken Ludwig, then converted to theatre by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. It is based in 1930s America and centres around a few key characters; Bobby Child (Sam Widdowson) is the son of wealthy bankers but, despite his Harvard education, he wants to be a singer and dancer rather than join the family business. His mother pays him an allowance and forces him to do some work or he will be cut off. He is made to go to Deadlock, Nevada to foreclose on a theatre as the owners are behind on the mortgage. Instead, he hatches a plan to save it from being reclaimed by his family’s business. In doing so, he meets Polly (Ellie Hudson) and instantly falls in love with her, although this isn’t quite reciprocated as she has been told his name as being from the bank before he arrives there and had vowed to slap him, which she does!

This show has been put on by STOS theatre company. STOS exclusively do shows in Sheffield with amateur actors (although you wouldn’t know they were amateurs from the acting, production or any other aspect of the show). The key advantage to it is the price of the tickets as they are less than half the price of normal shows, making it very accessible for a wider audience which I’m a huge advocate for.

Zangler (Mark Harris) is the flamboyant owner of the theatre with the ‘Follies’ showgirls in New York. However, in order to stay in Nevada, Bobby ends up imitating him and getting the Follies girls to go along with it. The scene when the two first see each other when Bobby is dressed up as Zangler is very amusing in a slapstick style way.

I really liked the stage setting, which had sections on each side of the stage that had 3 different sides to them, which could easily be turned to change the entire scene. The two key ones were outside the Zangler theatre in New York and Deadrock, Nevada. These were easily switched between and very effective, with other scenery wheeled in towards the back of the stage. The other setting I particularly liked, as being slightly unusual, was the starting one, which has the large curtains at the back and then the activity on the stage, as if we are seeing backstage of a theatre rather than the main stage.

The outfits are varied, ranging from dancing girls in frilly, skimpy (for the 1930s) outfits, to farming outfits of dungarees and more demure clothes, with some very tailored suits and outfits in between. Each were fitting of their setting, although highlighted the differences in different American states when they all end up together.

The Lyceum is in the centre of Sheffield and is easy to find. It’s snowy and cold out there but the roads have all been cleared as have the paths to the Lyceum. If you park in the Charles Street Q Park, remember to get a voucher from the theatre for the first hour free.

Having not seen the show before, it was just the right combination of songs, dancing, storyline and acting and had been expertly put together, especially in terms of choreography. There were laugh out loud parts and other parts where you felt sorry for characters, which is what good theatre is all about; when you get immersed in the plot.

I’ve not come away with any specific song in my head so can’t say that any of the songs were either overly annoying nor overly memorable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as I can remember the whole thing rather than just having an earworm of one section!

There are only 2 ticket prices for this show and they come in at less than half the price of a professional touring show, yet with the same professionalism and charisma. This show is not a touring show so is only available to see until this Saturday, 23rd November. There are still some tickets available and I’d highly recommend getting yourself there to see it.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £17 to £28

Crazy For You is only on at the Sheffield Lyceum and only between 19th and 23rd November 2024.
For more information or to book tickets visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/crazy-for-you-stos-2024 or call the Box Office on 0114 249 6000
Sheffield Theatres, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/