Tag Archives: Cincinnati Music Theatre

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Kaitlin Lory as Polly Baker and John Woll as Bobby Child.

CRAZY FOR YOU presented by Cincinnati Music Theatre through May 16. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening Saturday performance.

Cincinnati Music Theatre ambitiously tackles the dance-heavy musical comedy CRAZY FOR YOU as their season closer.

Leads Kaitlin Lory as Polly Baker and John Woll as Bobby Child give solid performances and have a cute chemistry together. I would have liked to see a bit more of an emotional connection between the two since their relationship comes together so quickly.

Rick Kramer is spot-on and fun as (the real) Bella Zangler and his duet, “What Causes That,” with doppelganger Woll is a highlight of the show. Also fun were Jen Drake and Gregory Good in “Naughty Baby.” Allison Hinkel does well as Tess, but I think she could have been used more in supporting Bobby and Polly.

The cast.

At the performance I attended, the cast seemed to struggle with maintaining their energy throughout the show. Several times (once due to a costume change delay) the momentum of the show dropped out almost completely.

The choreography suffered a bit from the same problem. There were times when the dancers’ faces dropped to concentrate on the choreography. The priority has to be convincing the audience that you are having fun. I’m not sure if this is an option, but a couple of the longer dance sequences could have used a bit of editing. That being said, the ensemble should be commended for the hard work that shows in the dance numbers, especially “I Got Rhythm.”

Jen Drake as Irene Roth & Gregory Good as Link.

Director Sarah C. Mizelle creates some really nice stage pictures in her blocking. There were a few times where scenes with much of the ensemble on stage could have used a bit more focus on the leads.

The orchestra, under the direction of Charles Wilhelm sounded strong and it was very nice to hear the score played live by a talented ensemble of musicians.

On the technical side, Rick Kramer was also responsible for the smart set design. Also well done was the costuming work by Elaine Michael. I can’t recall any sound issues of note for the leads, but there were several instances where mics were not live for ensemble solo lines.

Overall a light-hearted and fun musical comedy. A bit uneven, easily rectified by the cast maintaining its focus, energy and spontaneity throughout the performance. Enjoy the rest of your run.

My rating: 3.25 out of 5

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