Crazy For You at Bristol Hippodrome Review

Posted on: 2017-10-11

Our rating:

It was a very comedic musical from the very start and the crowd got straight into it; there was a big round of applause when Tom Chambers first made an appearance and whoops of laughter throughout the whole night.


The high energy, feel good musical Crazy for You took the packed audience on a journey through the Gershwin brothers' back catalogue when it opened at the Bristol Hippodrome last night. 

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Memorable tunes such as 'Embraceable You', 'I Got Rhythm', 'They Can't Take That Away From Me' and 'Nice Work If You Can Get It' where interwoven into a story line about financial troubles, heartbreak, mistaken identities and true love. It was a very comedic musical from the very start and the crowd got straight into it; there was a big round of applause when Tom Chambers (who played the main part of Bobby) first made an appearance and whoops of laughter throughout the whole night.

Crazy For You

Tom Chambers is best known for his time on "Strictly Come Dancing" and is currently involved with the BBC drama "Casualty", but he's worked with many stage productions in the past and you really got to see how multi-skilled he was during this musical. His dance moves, acting and singing were all fantastic and he certainly got many people in the audience swooning.

 

My ultimate favourite performer of the show however, was Charlotte Wakefield who played the part of Polly. She shone the brightest for me as her voice was sensational, her dancing impeccable and her acting outstanding. Charlotte got nominated for an Olivier Award when she made her West End debut as Wendla in "Spring Awakening" and she has performed in many firm stage favourites - including "The Sound of Music", "Mamma Mia" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

 

Caroline Flack was very amusing as Irene, the spurned fiancée of Bobby, and she played the part of this over-powering vixen very well. She is of course well known by most people for presenting several popular TV shows, including "The X Factor" and "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here NOW", but she's actually trained in musical theatre and it was a pleasant surprise to see this side of her in action. Her rendition of a sultry song in the second half was highly amusing and met with an appreciative applause. 

Caroline Flack

The sets for this production were very detailed and added to the overall professionalism of this musical; it was often used as a climbing frame at key points throughout the show and there was a hilarious scene which involved Tom Chambers trying to get from the top of a theatre box on stage to the ground. It really was a joy to watch and the audience were in stitches at the calamity unfolding before their eyes.

 

Despite the end of the production being slightly abrupt, it felt like this piece of theatre was as slick as it could possibly be. The length of it felt spot on (with it starting at 7.30pm and ending at 10pm, with an interval included) and there really was not one single moment when people's attention could wander away elsewhere. There was so much going on in this action packed delight, you felt thoroughly entertained and satisfied throughout.

 

Crazy For You is in Bristol as part of its national tour and runs until this Saturday 14th October.

 

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Article by:

Kelly Jobanputra

Kelly worked as a journalist for the BBC for 12 years before she changed careers and went into the field of marketing. Having worked at BBC 6 Music for several years, she is passionate about many different genres of sound. Her other interests include theatre, comedy, books, food and days out with the family (she has a young daughter who she describes as a "whirlwind of fun.") Kelly is married to Vik who is a true Bristolian to the core! She is also studying nutritional therapy.