‘Crazy’ a Period Confection That Remains Fluffy and Fun

Don’t look for weighty drama in “Crazy for You,” a Music Theatre of Southern California production at the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium. Loosely based on the 1930 Ethel Merman/Ginger Rogers vehicle “Girl Crazy,” this slap-happy 1992 musical features vintage Gershwin tunes and an “aw-shucks, let’s-put-on-a-show” plot as substantial--and enjoyable--as cotton candy.

The action opens in 1930s New York. Frustrated hoofer Bobby Child (Jamie Torcellini) was born in a trunk--full of family money. Dismissed by producers as a wealthy dilettante, Bobby badly needs a “break”--into show business, away from his overbearing mother (Robin La Valley) and free of his engagement to society femme fatale Irene (Heather Lee).

*

Ordered by mother to handle a foreclosure out West, Bobby arrives in Deadrock, Nev., to discover that the parcel in question is an old frontier theater owned by former dance man Everett Baker (Tom Hatten) and his daughter Polly (Linda Griffin). But desert entrepreneur Lank Hawkins (Michael G. Hawkins) covets Polly--and the property.

Smitten by pretty Polly, Bobby wants to help her pay off the mortgage, so he disguises himself as renowned theatrical impresario Bela Zangler (Nathan Holland) and proceeds to mount a show right in the middle of hell-and-gone. Bobby’s beautiful showgirl pals flock eagerly to Nevada to help (what else do Depression-era chorines have to do with their time and money?), and those lazy local cowpokes clean up into natural dance men, once they feel that rhythm all the way into the toes of their tap-dancing cow-pie kickers.

Ken Ludwig’s Tony-nominated book wanders freely in the tall corn, but the well-worn puns and slapstick humor work well here, largely because of the casually dashing Torcellini, who makes every move--from stumbling drunkenly downstairs to full-blown tap sequences--seem effortless. Torcellini is fresh from a 19-month stint in “Beauty and the Beast” at the Shubert, as is Griffin, a triple-threat performer with a girl-next-door freshness, nimble feet and a smoky voice that could set off the theater’s fire alarms.

*

Thanks to director Bill Shaw’s light hand, this potentially sticky period confection remains fluffy and fun throughout. The stunning rented sets are well-crafted facsimiles of the original Broadway production. Pamela Johnson-Gill’s lovely original costumes blend seamlessly with the show’s rentals. Dennis Castellano’s lively musical direction and Rikki Lugo’s wonderful choreography are executed by a dynamic cast.

If you’re into pure escapism, this is the show for you. But if you’re looking for the theatrical heft of a “Les Miz” or a “Phantom,” be forewarned: Not a single scene in “Crazy for You” is set in a sewer.

* “Crazy for You,” San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. Ends Nov. 3. $15-$45. (213) 480-3232. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.