SCERA Opens Gershwin's Musical Comedy CRAZY FOR YOU Tonight

"Crazy for You," the Tony Award-winning musical that remains timeless in large part because of the enduring music of George and Ira Gershwin is a romantic comedy that will play at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre tonight, July 31-August 15, 2015, and will also travel to BYU to be seen by national audiences at its annual education week

The musical will play Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children (age 3-11) and seniors (age 65 and older). Reserved area tickets range from $14-16 for adults and $12 to $14 for children and seniors. They are available at www.scera.org, by calling 801-225-ARTS, at the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S. State St., Orem, between 10am-6pm weekdays and Saturdays from 12Noon-6pm or at the Shell gate 90 minutes prior to performance. Non-profit and church group rates for groups of 20+ purchased in advance are $6.00.

Jerry Elison, who likes it for its "real, rich comedy, its fantastic dancing and the Gershwin magic," also says it is the most challenging piece of musical theater he has encountered in a career that spans six decades.

"I guess what petrified me was all the dancing," he says laughingly. "It's a tap dance show from beginning to end, and anyone who knows me knows that I'm anything except a tap dancer! Fortunately we found Sam Alva as our choreographer. He is fantastic. We have a cast of 55, and it was fascinating to see him spent a week breaking down the dances and teaching it piece by piece and step by step. He is amazing."

Alva is a Young Ambassador at BYU selected among that premier group in large part because of his dancing skills.

The unforgettable music is as fresh today as it was when written in the 1930s. A sampling includes "Someone to Watch Over Me." "Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "I Can't Be Bothered Now" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

The script, based on the story "Girl Crazy" was reworked for the Broadway production of "Crazy for You." Elison says the clever script deals with rejuvenating a lazy western town whose local theater is facing foreclosure. Add a twist with a country girl falling in love with a city boy, a city girl falling for a country cowboy, misunderstandings, mistaken identities, disguises, and a generous gaggle of dancing follies girls and the energy level explodes off the stage and into the audience.

The exuberance centers on Bobby Child, a stage-struck New York City banker who heads to Deadrock, Nevada to foreclose a rundown theater. He doesn't expect to fall in love, but it's love at first sight when he runs into spunky Polly Baker, the theatre owner's daughter, who does not realize he is the heartless businessman she has sworn the get even with. But in time she "gets crazy for him," and the story is designed for the audience to get crazy for them, too.

Elison found an excellent tapper and singer in Christopher Gallagher who plays Bobby. Surprisingly, the BYU graduate has his degree in statistics, not theater, but Elison says he stood out in auditions, and brings charm and comedy to the role. Gallagher danced with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble for three years, and has been featured in many shows around the valley, including the U.S premiere of The Count of Monte Cristo. The female lead, Polly, is played by T'naiha Ellis. She recently returned from an LDS mission in California, Rancho Cucamonga and has been seen as Natalie in All Shook Up, Kate in Pirates of Penzance, and Anita in West Side Story. Performing as Zangler is Michael Dubois, who Liken The Scriptures audiences will know from several films as well as Likens' stage production of The First Christmas, where Michael played Joseph. Michael has also performed in Savior of the World at the LDS Conference Center and most recently played Percy in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Other leads are played by Julia Sanchez as Irene, Bobby's fiancée from New York, and Tyler Scott Mitchell as Lank, one of the cowboys, who also have a romantic side story in the show.

Nat Reed's set design includes a giant automobile that will be danced on, and a specially built tap dance floor to enhance the tappers' sound. Among other show elements, they took an old piano in the scene shop and fashioned it to look like an old-fashioned player piano. Jerry Jackman donated a bass for a number called "Slap That Bass," and Callie's Café in Orem even contributed a lariat after Elison saw one displayed on their wall when he was eating breakfast there.

"It takes a whole lot of people to bring the old west to the west," Elison adds.

Elison selected Martha Glissmeyer as his musical director for her special talents with Gershwin music, and Julie Nevin as stage manager because he considers her a second director. Ben Henderson, who won the national Irene Ryan theater award was brought in to teach combat fighting and staged the fights in a fun and creative ways. Costume designers are Kelsey Seaver, Deborah Bowman and Danielle Berry, with Seth Mergist as Lighting Designer and Christy Norton as Props Designer.

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