CRAZY FOR YOU Becomes Stratford Festival's First Cast Recording

The magic of the Stratford Festival's hit musical Crazy for You has been immortalized in the first full-length cast recording in the Festival's history. The album is filled with beloved Gershwin tunes and a sensational cast bursting with talent: who could ask for anything more?

"I am thrilled to announce Stratford's very first cast recording -- something we have wanted to do for many years," says Executive Director Anita Gaffney. "We are so lucky to have some of the greatest artists in the world with us each season. It is extremely important to us to preserve and share their extraordinary talents. This recording, together with our plans for Stratford@Play, which will see us film up to three productions a year, are exciting advances, which will take the Festival's work to an even larger audience."

Described as "a rollicking, rhythmic delight" by the Toronto Star's Richard Ouzounian and "a shot of adrenaline" by The Globe and Mail's J. Kelly Nestruck, Crazy for You is already one of the hottest tickets of the 2014 season. Specially conceived for the Festival stage by director and choreographer Donna Feore, the production features Natalie Daradich as Polly Baker, Josh Franklin as Bobby Child and Tom Rooney as Bela Zangler.

Featuring all 31 cast members as well as 21 musicians led by Conductor and Musical Director Shelley Hanson, the album is packed with classic Gershwin songs, including "I Got Rhythm," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "Can't Take That Away From Me" and "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Musical Numbers:

Act I

Overture/Kr-a-zy For You - Bobby

I Can't Be Bothered Now - Bobby, Follies Girls

Bidin' My Time - Mingo, Sam, Moose

Could You Use Me?/Shall We Dance? - Bobby, Polly

Girls Enter Nevada - Company

Someone to Watch Over Me - Polly

Slap That Bass - Bobby and Company

Embraceable You - Polly, Bobby

I Got Rhythm - Polly and Company

Act II

The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag) - Mingo, Sam, Moose and Company

What Causes That? - Bela, Bobby

Naughty Baby - Irene, Lank

Stiff Upper Lip - Patricia, Eugene and Company

They Can't Take That Away From Me/But Not For Me - Bobby/Polly

Nice Work If You Can Get It - Bobby, Follies Girls

The album is available for purchase at the Stratford Festival Shop. To purchase online, visit iTunes or CD Baby at http://cdbaby.com/cd/crazyforyou.

The album was produced by Peter McBoyle and Franklin Brasz.

Crazy for You is a high-energy romantic comedy telling the story of Bobby Child, son of a banking magnate, who is sent to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a derelict theatre but unexpectedly falls for its owner's daughter, Polly Baker.

Crazy for You plays at the Stratford Festival until October 12. For tickets, contact the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or visit stratfordfestival.ca.

With music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, and book by Ken Ludwig, Crazy for You was co-conceived by Ken Ludwig and Mike Ockrent. The musical was inspired by material by Guy Bolton and John McGowan, and originally produced on Broadway by Roger Horchow and Elizabeth Williams.

Photo Credit: Cylla von Tiedemann