'Five Stars'! Evening Standard Review of Crazy For You Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

By Henry HitchingsFor The Evening Standard"The world is in a mess," sings one character in Crazy for You, "with politics and taxes / And people grinding axes / There's no happiness."Suitably glum words, some might say - and if right now you need a little summery escapism, look no further than this superb and for the most part uplifting musical.With tunes by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira, it's a ripely entertaining piece. Ken Ludwig's book contains some zippy one-liners, and there's a lovely sense of showmanship throughout.No one embodies this better than Sean Palmer. He plays Bobby Child, a rich young man from Manhattan who trundles off to Deadrock, a Nevada mining community described as "the armpit of the American West".Posing as a noted impresario, Bobby brings music to the downtrodden citizens. In the process he seduces the only woman left in town, Polly Baker.Played by Clare Foster, she's a tomboy who morphs into a romantic. The result is a deliberately improbable story of mistaken identity and musical redemption, and Timothy Sheader's production is full of youthful exuberance.The leads are sublime: Palmer is suave but also warm, while Foster almost bursts with charm.Around them there's razor-sharp ensemble work.Stephen Mear's choreography is ingenious and polished, and the nine-piece band performs with gusto.Sustaining a high level of poise and energy throughout, the show brims with a sassy joie de vivre that no unseasonal shower can dampen. In the words of the Gershwin classic I Got Rhythm, "Who could ask for anything more?"