Crazy For You

259 Pennington Titusville Rd, Pennington, NJ | Get Directions »
$12.00

Hopewell Valley Stages Gershwin Hit Musical with Original Broadway Choreography

 February 3, 2012--The music in Hopewell Valley Central High School’s winter musical may have been written by George and Ira Gershwin more than seventy years ago, but the show, Crazy for You, is billed as “The New Gershwin Musical Comedy”.

 “That’s because Crazy for You is really a reworking of an older Gershwin musical,” said Sarah Vander Schaaff, director of theatre arts at Hopewell Valley Central High School, and the show’s director.

 “When Crazy for You opened on Broadway in the early 1990’s it made a big statement. Here was something classic, in one way, and yet fresh. It showcases some of the best-known Gershwin songs in a wonderfully original and funny story with a whole lot of dancing.”

 “We lovingly call it a dance-ical” said choreographer Karen Martin, who along with Suzie Schnoor, both directors of Mercer County’s DanceWorks studio, is the choreographer of Hopewell’s production. Shortly after the school selected the musical, they began studying the original Broadway choreography by Susan Stroman.

 There was some apprehension at first, said Martin. But, “Once the cast started learning the numbers, the idea of doing "Broadway" choreography became real and they are excited to do it. As with all choreography, we have adapted the numbers to fit the ability of the students to make them feel comfortable.  Both Suzie and I are very happy with their dedication and ability to learn whatever we have given them.”

 Crazy for You, which includes such standards as “I Got Rhythm”, “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and “Embraceable You” is about Bobby Child, son of a New York City  banker, who heads west to Deadrock, Nevada to foreclose upon a rundown theatre, but ends up saving it instead.

Hopewell Valley senior Ryerson Lehman-Borer plays Bobby Child. Sophomore Imogen Mills plays Polly Baker, and nearly fifty other students round out the cast of follies showgirls and residents of Deadrock.

 “There’s an element of New York City meets Deadrock—middle of nowhere—Nevada,” said Vander Schaaff. “There’s comedy and a certain sweetness in these two worlds colliding,” she continued, and of course there’s a love story and a few bar fights.”

 For that, the school hired professional Fight Director, Doug West.

 “It’s been wonderful to see the cast get to work on such exciting and challenging material with the choreographers, our fight director, and our own director of choirs and musical director on this show, Matt Erpelding. And we’re fortunate to have Karrin Phillips lead the pit orchestra and Rosemary Stein do our costumes.” Vander Schaaff said. “We are so grateful to the parental community for supporting the theatre and music programs with such commitment. This is going to be a very uplifting show for the audience.”

 “We rank Crazy for You right up there with the great musicals, 42nd Street and Anything Goes” added Martin.

 See Crazy for You at Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Performing Arts Center, 259 Pennington-Titusville Road. The show runs March 2, 3, 9, 10 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $8 and $12 and may be purchased at the door, or online at:

www.showtix4u.com as well as through the box office at 866-967-8167.