News

Timothy Sheader’s Open Air Theatre production of Crazy for You is rumoured to be moving to the Novello Theatre in October following the announcement that Betty Blue Eyes will close at the end of September after disappointing ticket sales.

The Regent's Park show has picked up several four and five star reviews this summer - with particular praise for the sharp choreography of Stephen Mear and the striking sets and costumes designed by Peter McKintosh.

They Say: Crazy for You Reviews

The dancing is superb, with Mear offering several nods to the show’s brilliant original choreographer Susan Stroman as the chorus girls are swung on pickaxes and plucked by the local rustics like double basses. The open-air setting means that the tap-dancing doesn’t have quite the percussive volume one might wish, but the singing of such superb numbers as Someone to Watch Over Me, Nice Work if You Can Get It and You Can’t Take That Away From Me is terrific. And the band, under the direction of Gershwin specialist Gareth Valentine, really cooks.

**** 4 Stars - Charles Spencer for The Telegraph (read the full review here)

The leads are sublime: (Sean) Palmer is suave but also warm, while (Clare) Foster almost bursts with charm. Around them there's razor-sharp ensemble work. Stephen Mear's choreography is ingenious and polished, and the nine-piece band performs with gusto. Sustaining a high level of poise and energy throughout, the show brims with a sassy joie de vivre that no unseasonal shower can dampen. In the words of the Gershwin classic I Got Rhythm, "Who could ask for anything more?"

***** 5 Stars – Henry Hitchings for The Evening Standard (read the full review here)

Rhythm and Laughs at the Open Air Theatre