Review: Showtime Challenge #4 Crazy For You

Image of Bobby Childs and the Follies on stage at tech rehearsal by Jonny Lee

Musicals are popular because they carry messages of hope and wear their hearts on their sleeves. Imagine the buzz of goodwill then, last night at the London Palladium. A cast of over 130, purely in it for the love of performing and to raise money for charity – one that’s close to several of the cast members, having known Cecily, in whose memory the fund was set up. Imagine they’ve only given themselves 48 hours to rehearse, have hardly slept and have to deal with some really ropey wigs. Imagine a full house. Imagine waiting for curtain up.

Yes, we’re sure it was pretty overwhelming but the Showtime Challenge Crazy For You was truly fabulous, hilarious and astonishing. Within a rehearsal period of 48 hours they cut no corners, trimmed down no dance numbers nor toned down any tap dancing. The saloon bar ‘battles’ were intricate and thrilling whilst the barnstorming ensemble for “I’ve got Rhythm” was irresistible, the stage literally teeming with performers bubbling over with joy.

The Palladium was buzzing with excitement, the audience as expectant and excited as the cast. No one cared about moustaches that didn’t stick properly, mikes that went haywire and the odd wrong foot here and there. Crazy for You is essentially a daft feelgood musical with everyone rooting for the country gal and the city boy to get it together through the medium of dance and song and somehow it all worked: spectacle, comedy, romance, heartbreak, farce, resolution, happy ending. These adventurous souls clearly had a whale of a time throwing it all together, putting heart and soul into a spectacular one-off performance.

From scratch to stage in 48 hours? We believe it now.

We hope that Eyebrow Productions’ cast and crew had a cracking after party having raised buckets of cash for the chosen charity, Cecily’s Fund. You can still donate online here.

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