WHS to perform ‘Crazy for You’

The Waxahachie High School drama department is preparing for its rendition of “Crazy for You,” a romantic comedy musical.

Set in the 1930s, the musical follows Bobby Child, a New York banker with dreams of being in the theater, as he is sent by his mother to foreclose on a crumbling theater in Deadrock, Nevada, where he meets and falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Polly Baker. Baker is not interested in the man who will shut down their theater, so Child disguises himself as a famous producer and works to save the theater and win Baker’s heart.

“Crazy for You” was written by Ken Ludwig and contains music by George and Ira Gershwin with most of the pieces being jazz compilations. At the show, the audience will experience “a lot of fun, high energy, big dance numbers and a lot of laughs,” head theater director Andy Reynolds said. “They can also expect to recognize some of the music, including songs like ‘I Got Rhythm,’ ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ and more.

“They’re gonna be like, ‘This song’s in this?’” Reynolds said. “They’re going to be flabbergasted by the big numbers and how many kids are up there tapping. It’s going to blow their mind.”

About 105 students are involved in the musical either in the cast, crew or orchestra, and they have been working on the show since August, with after school rehearsals starting after Christmas break.

“For four weeks, we’re learning all the music, and for the next six weeks, we’re learning all the choreography,” Reynolds said. “I tell the kids all the time that if they have fun doing it, then the audience will recognize that and start to have fun too. Especially in a comedy, the audience needs to see that chemistry.” For years, “Crazy for You” has been on Reynolds’ list of shows he wants to do, and he felt this was the perfect year to do it because of the combination of the school’s talented jazz band and the strong dancers in the theater program.

Performed in the WHS Performing Arts Center, the show will have 7 p.m. shows Jan. 26-28 and will end with a matinee show at 7 p.m. Jan. 29. Admission is $7 for students and $10 for adults.

Judges from the Betty Lynn Buckley Awards and the Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards, formerly Dallas Summer Musicals, will be at multiple performances.

According to its website, Broadway Dallas recognizes “the importance of musical theater and arts education within the North Texas community” through an awards ceremony, modeled after the Tony Awards, and several scholarships. WHS has previously won Best Musical in 2021 and 2016 and has been nominated for and won multiple other awards through Broadway Dallas over the course of many years.

This is the first year WHS has entered the Buckley Awards competition. Its fall play, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” is also entered in the competition. The Buckley Awards is a scholarships awards program that celebrates high school performing arts. It has 16 award categories and is organized by Casa Mañana in Fort Worth.

To purchase tickets, visit http://whsdramadept.org/22-23-shows or buy them at the door. Originally published January 20, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/arts_and_entertainment/whs-to-perform-crazy-for-you/article_0735698e-990c-11ed-88fa-27f0e9b021f2.html