Crazy for You as presented by Jack Cunningham Productions

Jack Cunningham Productions 

Crazy For You 

Saturday 7th September 

There is something really special about the ambience of the Theatre Royal in Waterford. This classical Victorian theatre has such a unique atmosphere, and it is always a pleasure to attend a show at this historic venue. And so, I was very excited to see Jack Cunningham Productions stage one of musical theatre’s greatest crowd-pleasers, ‘Crazy for You.’ With its brilliant Gershwin score, side-splitting comedy routines and huge production numbers, it was a given that the audience would leave with smiles on their faces, singing and tap dancing down Waterford’s Mall. 

The foyer was extremely busy just before curtain-up as bumper-to-bumper traffic and limited parking caused mayhem for people trying to get to the theatre on time. The front of house team did a great job putting everyone at ease as they rushed in and we were soon seated, in anticipation of a great night’s entertainment. 

Jack Cunningham directed, co-produced, choreographed, danced, co-ordinated costumes and probably even made the cast tea at the interval! I have utmost admiration for anyone taking on even one of these elements for such a huge show. To co-ordinate all of the above is nothing short of superhuman and is to be applauded on every level! 

Mr. Cunningham’s direction was generally sound. He was blessed with a talented front line who bought into his vision, and he got some really good comic performances out of his cast. Sightlines were an issue throughout the show with dialogue and action often being obscured by the downstage tables in the saloon scenes. Positioning of performers, when delivering dialogue in crowd scenes, also needed attention at times. The iconic Zangler/Bobby mirror scene, although well performed, could have been more original in its conception. There was very funny business with the guys trying to pick up the dance moves going into ‘Slap that Bass’ and great marshalling of cast for the slick scene changes. 

Choreography was exhilarating in its execution. The show requires a highly energetic ensemble of terrific dancers and that is exactly what Mr. Cunningham had at his disposal. The big tap sequences were superb in their percussive precision. All of the bigger numbers were exceptionally well rehearsed, and it was refreshing to see these routines performed with such gusto and expression from all. ‘I Got Rhythm’ was an absolute triumph. The acapella tap sequence was quite superb and audience members were given more than a nudge to rise to their feet before the number built to the climactic end of Act 1. The Follies were excellent as the eight showgirls of Bobby’s subconscious and Mr. Cunningham had done great work to ensure that they always moved with great synchronicity. 

Musical Director, Emma Walsh, didn’t have an orchestra to manage, as accompaniment was tracked. These recordings were of a very high quality. Unfortunately, the track did run away from the ladies’ ensemble in the very wordy, up-tempo section of ‘Entrance to Nevada.’ But, in general, cast did well working with the tracks. There was a great wall of sound from the large cast in the bigger numbers but some of the more intricate harmony lines were missing, on occasion, as the safer option of singing in unison was chosen. Principal singing was of a high standard throughout. 

Casting the stagestruck Bobby Child, a New York banker with dreams of becoming a dancer, is always a difficult task. How lucky the production team was to have a triple threat like Conor Lyons in the role. Mr. Lyons brought a wealth of experience and talent to the part and was clearly enjoying every minute. His dancing was excellent, and he sang with a lyrical quality straight out of the golden age of musical theatre. Mr. Lyons had great comic timing and, even if he occasionally over-egged things as an almost Borat-esque ‘Zangler,’ he relished the rapturous audience reaction to his comic antics. 

Jennifer White was equally strong as the feisty Polly Baker, apparently the only woman left in Deadrock, Nevada. Blessed with a delightfully clear voice, Ms. White had such a lovely, natural presence as she delivered her songs with real heart and a genuine understanding of Ira Gershwin’s gorgeous lyrics that drew us in as she told the story. ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ was a highlight as was the touchingly poignant ‘But Not For Me.’Ms. White was quite the dancer too and the chemistry between herself and Mr. Lyons was so clear. 

The eccentric, Hungarian theatre impresario, Bela Zangler, was played with great energy by Jonathan Kelly. Mr. Kelly had the audience in stitches with the corniest of one-liners, the most memorable being in his very well-played, drunken mirror scene with Mr. Lyons – “I am beside myself!” Singing in ‘What causes That?’ was full of character and drunken hilarity. 

Kieran Walsh squeezed everything out of the role of saloon owner Lank Hawkins, who had his eye on Polly but hadn’t a snowball’s chance of success. Mr. Walsh had great presence and delivered lines with conviction and strong comic timing. His reactions in ‘Naughty Baby,’ as he slowly caved in to being seduced by Irene, were very funny. 

Trish Orpen was a delight as the overbearing fiancée of the hen-pecked Bobby. Ms. Orpen was perfectly bossy and brash, leaving no doubt as to why Bobby felt the need to switch off and lose himself in the blissful world of his imagination, where he could dance his troubles away with eight visions of loveliness. Ms. Orpen threw herself into ‘Naughty Baby’ with vampish glee and Mr. Walsh really had no choice but to succumb to her advances. Apart from being an excellent comic turn, the number was superbly sung by Ms. Orpen. 

Anne Marie Collins showed just why there is no such thing as a small part in theatre. She was always in character as Tess, always reacting to everything and was so strong acting through her dance numbers. Her knowing manipulation of Zangler in Act 2 was skilfully played. 

Dermott Sullivan did well in the role of Everett, always reminiscing about his late wife’s prowess on the Gaiety Theatre stage. Cueing was a bit of an issue in the opening Deadrock scene on the night that I attended but, once he settled, Mr. Sullivan gave a well-rounded, confident performance. His falling for Lottie was a nice, cute comic moment. 

Clare Smith was a domineering presence as Lottie Child, Bobby’s business driven, overbearing mother and Holly Grant gave a suitably ditzy performance as Patsy, whilst also shining as one of the Follies. 

Joe Shanahan, Mark Rellis and Liam Steenson were a strong trio as Moose, Mingo, and Sam, three layabout citizens of Deadrock. Collectively, they sang well in unison, but I would love to have heard them tackle the harmonies of the ‘French Reprise.’

Phil Erskine and Ciara Giles were perfectly matched as the eccentric British double act, Eugene, and Patricia Fodor. Their arrival in Deadrock is met with disappointment as it becomes apparent that nobody is coming to see the show which can potentially save their theatre. Mr. Erskine and Ms. Giles were hilarious as they tried to convince the townsfolk to grin and bear it in the brilliant ‘Stiff Upper Lip.’ 

The ensemble in this show was young, enthusiastic, and incredibly talented. Their dancing was a triumph from start to finish. Mr. Cunningham’s cast lived every moment in their faces and that was what we, as an audience, felt the most. The energy, the commitment and the unbridled joy from this large cast was simply exhilarating. They committed themselves fully to the singing also and were particularly impressive in ‘I Got Rhythm’ and ‘Stiff Upper Lip.’ 

Set design was simple but effective for the most part, with the exception of the opening backstage scene which lacked impact set against blacks. The Deadrock trucks were very well designed, turning slickly to create the interior of Lank’s saloon, which was really well dressed. Using the back wall of the Theatre Royal stage as the dilapidated Gaiety stage, was an inspired choice. However, the visibility of a modern red fire alarm upstage left was unfortunate. 

Stage manager, Shane Taheny, kept things moving along at a brisk pace with the help of cast moving trucks and set pieces very efficiently. There was a lot of movement of the front tabs during the interval as the saloon tables were being set for ‘The Real American Folk Song.’ It might have worked better to set these as part of the action once the curtain was out. 

Props needed more attention to detail, in general. Some were excellent. The disused Gaiety Theatre stage looked amazing with the old-style organ, ropes, costume rails etc. However, not everything was this good. Lank’s toy gun with its red plastic tip, paper plates in the saloon mirror scene, the Fodor’s empty laundry bag and Zangler’s extremely small cheques were a few of the items that jarred. 

Lighting was generally good, playing things safe for the most part. With the exception of a timing glitch going into Bobby and Polly’s finale dance, cueing appeared solid. There was good use of follow spot in ‘Shall We Dance?’ up to the point where Bobby and Polly separated and were too far apart to follow both. Unfortunately, there was a significant issue with the overzealous use of haze machines. 

Sound was very good for the most part. Dialogue was clear and vocal balance was generally good. Dialogue in ‘Tonight’s the Night’ was barely audible as it was overpowered by the backing track, and we missed some very funny lines as a result. 

Costumes were excellent throughout, from the gorgeous uniformity of the Follies, to the stunning showgirl costumes of the finale. Daywear for ‘Entrance to Nevada’ was perfectly impactful and there was good attention to detail in coordinating the identical costumes of the real Zangler and Bobby’s ‘Zangler.’ 

Hair and make-up needed some attention. Whilst the styling of ladies’ own hair was very authentic for that 1930s look, there was an issue with some wigs as hair was visible underneath. I was disappointed in the look for the two ‘Zanglers.’ Having these two characters looking as identical as possible is a crucial plot point. Unfortunately, with both devoid of facial hair, it was very difficult to buy into the idea that Bobby had duped a whole town into believing that he was Zangler. A beard and moustache for both would have made the world of difference and Irene’s line to Bobby, “You look like Karl Marx,” would have made sense.

This was a very entertaining production of one of the all-time great musical comedies that literally has everything. The dancing was just electric and there were many fine comic moments from an extremely talented cast who delighted a visibly enthusiastic and responsive audience. With a little more attention to detail in the technical aspects and a more focused approach to positioning for dialogue, this very talented company will continue to build on what has been a meteoric rise to date. Who could ask for anything more?! 

Pat McElwain 

Gilbert Adjudicator 2024/2025

Photographer: Colin Shanahan (DigiCol)