Review: Artistry’s ‘Crazy for You’ brings touches of Broadway to Bloomington

Shh! Don’t tell “Chicago” murderess Roxy Hart that there’s a production of “Crazy for You” in Bloomington that centers the musicians onstage the way her show does on Broadway. No telling what that sexy killer might think or do.

But the rest of us can smile and be charmed.

Anita Ruth, who spearheaded the music for decades at Artistry, has returned as a guest conductor with a 20-piece orchestra that dominates two-thirds of the stage at the Bloomington Center for the Arts. And that nod to the glory days of show biz is apt. Ruth’s lush and robust music adds to the flair of this version of “Crazy” that includes some arresting tap dance.

The stakes in “Crazy” are less grave than the scandalous murder at the heart of Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago.” In “Crazy,” playwright Ken Ludwig cooked up a trite, fanciful book centered on Bobby Child, a bratty Harvard youngster torn between his love of theater and going into the family’s banking business.

When his mother sends him to Deadrock, Nev., to foreclose on a playhouse, Bobby (Kyle Weiler) becomes smitten with the daughter of the theater owner, Polly (Annika Isbell).

Ludwig’s true intent was to create a vehicle for us to hear the lush melodies and clever lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin. At Artistry, tunes such as “Embraceable You,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” are delivered with sweetness and panache.

Director Ben Bakken has his players sit onstage when they are not performing. The set pieces are minimal — there’s no space for anything except for a few chairs that the performers move around. But there’s plenty of room for energy and theatrical invention, and this “Crazy” has both in spades, from the music to the dance choreographed by Weiler and Elly Stahlke.

A relatively newcomer, Isbell acquits herself with grace. She delivers a heartfelt “Someone to Watch Over Me.” (And in a sweet sidenote, she acts opposite France Roberts, who plays her father. Roberts was Isbell’s first-grade teacher in real life, and he inspired her to pursue theater when she saw him perform all those years ago.)

An alumnus of the national tour of “Hamilton,” Weiler is a beautiful singer who carries the weight of the show on numbers such as “Things Are Looking Up,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” and the title song. He and Isbell make good theater together, with obvious chemistry in their scene work, singing and dancing.

In his acting, Weiler is occasionally overdone. When his character is in low spirits, for example, Weiler’s Bobby enters the scene slouching a bit too low to the ground. But the actor is surer of his singing. And he’s joyful in his dance as well. He leads on “I Got Rhythm,” the exuberant and explosive tap number that closes the first act.

These razzle-dazzle dance numbers plus the gorgeous music and performances all conspire to ultimately make this show a “Crazy” delight.

‘Crazy for You’

Who: Composed by George and Ira Gershwin. Book by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Ben Bakken.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 11.

Where: Artistry, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington.

Tickets: $26-$56. 952-563-8575 or artistrymn.org