Casting is now complete for the West End transfer of the Chichester Festival Theatre production of the Tony-winning musical Crazy for You, which will begin a limited six-month run at London's Gillian Lynne Theatre June 24 prior to an official opening July 3.
Susan Stroman (The Producers, Show Boat, Contact), who won the first of her five Tony Awards for choreographing the original Broadway production of Crazy for You, will again direct and choreograph.
As previously reported, Charlie Stemp, the Olivier-nominated star of Half a Sixpence and Mary Poppins, will again play Bobby Child with Carly Anderson (Wicked) as Polly Baker and Drama Desk Award winner Tom Edden as Bela Zangler. All three starred in the Chichester summer production.
They will be joined by the newly announced Natalie Kassanga (Dreamgirls) as Irene Roth, Mathew Craig (We Will Rock You) as Lank Hawkins, Duncan Smith (White Christmas) as Everett Baker, Marilyn Cutts (Funny Girl) as Lottie Child, Sam Harrison (Les Misérables) as Eugene Fodor, Rina Fatania (The Killing of Sister George) as Patricia Fodor, and Jack Wilcox (Anything Goes) as Standby Bobby Child.
The ensemble will include Kayleigh Thadani, Kate Parr, Lila Anderson, Harriet Samuel-Gray, Imogen Bowtell, Laura Hills, Ella Valentine, Tara Yasmin, Marc Akinfolarin, Lucas Koch, Philip Bertioli, Jason Battersby, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Nicholas Duncan, Nathan Elwick, Liam Wrate, Joshua Nkemdilim, Nell Martin, Bradley Trevethan, Bethan Downing, Ryan Jupp, Jinny Gould, and George Bray.
Crazy for You, with music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and a book by two-time Tony Award nominee Ken Ludwig, is based on the 1930 musical Girl Crazy. The 1992 Broadway production was directed by Mike Ockrent, Stroman's late husband.
The musical played Broadway's Shubert Theatre January 1992-January 1996. Harry Groener and Jodi Benson headed the original Broadway cast. The musical won three 1992 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Librettist Ludwig has revised his book, adding contemporary touches and trimming the musical comedy by 15 minutes.
Joey Parnes, Sally Horchow, Michael Harrison with Crossroads Live, Nick Thomas, and Bob Boyett produce the London revival, which will also feature set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, musical supervision and direction by Alan Williams, sound design by Kai Harada, new orchestrations by Doug Besterman and Mark Cumberland, new arrangements by David Krane, wigs, hair, and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates, casting by Jill Green, and associate direction and choreography by Richard Pitt and Angelique Ilo.
Visit CrazyForYouMusical.com.
