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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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’Swonderful
The distinguished theatrical director Sir Peter Hall once said that Shakespeare had been responsible for more boring evenings at the theater than anyone. He was right, of course. Shakespeare’s greatness makes his material so ubiquitous that incoherent, misguided, or simply dull interpretations of his work are easy to find. In music, the same goes for the songs of George and Ira Gershwin. Yet Shakespeare lovers don’t stop attending productions of his plays, and Gershwin fans keep listening to new versions of their songs.
For people in the latter group, Granbury Opera House’s production of Crazy for You is the place to be. The play is an unabashed homage to the days of Andy Hardy films, when performers used to really put on a show. Unfortunately, the dialogue is written by Ken Ludwig (Moon Over Buffalo), whose strength is farce and not pastiche. The show’s Broadway run was distinguished more for its dance numbers.
Still, this show’s main drawing card is its songs, with George’s famously idiosyncratic harmonies and Ira’s sparkling lyrics. Their romantic songs range from fresh and optimistic (“Things Are Looking Up”) to wise and laissez-faire (“Nice Work If You Can Get It”) to deeply moving (“They Can’t Take That Away From Me”). Their rhythmic fun songs likewise go from urbane (“I Can’t Be Bothered Now”) to perfectly simple (“I Got Rhythm”).
Crazy for You runs Aug 8-Sep 2 at Granbury Opera House, 116 E Pearl St, Granbury. Tickets are $21-24. Call 817-573-9191.
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