Review: Star spangled showtime by Coventry group

As soon as I knew there was the chance to hear music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, I booked my seat for Crazy for You at the Belgrade Theatre - and members of the Coventry Musical Theatre Society certainly didn’t disappoint.

Few, if any, of Thursday night’s packed audience would have been alive when George - of Rhapsody in Blue fame - was churning out Broadway show tunes for I Got Rhythm and Nice Work If You Can Get It.

Or his brother writing perennial torch songs like Someone To Watch Over Me.

But that didn’t stop any of us revelling in this all-singing, all tap-dancing recreation of the Zeigfield Follies in the 1930s packed with style, star spangled costumes, terrific sets, and tons of humour.

Not least the crack about how nobody would ever go to Nevada for gambling. This may be an amateur production but the cast, led by Callum Roberts (Bobby) and Hannah Farguharson (Polly), were nothing but professional, especially when it looked like the director and choreographers had them echoing sequences inspired by the original shows with routines using corrugated metal and pickaxes, not to mention lassoos that turned into dancing double bass strings.

Leaving farm implements aside this was nostalgic glamour greeted by rounds of applause after every set piece, especially with the Fred Astaire quality of Callum’s dancing, the fiestyness of Hannah’s voice, their duets together and the fun seduction scene as Kayleigh Brook (Irene) sings Naughty Baby to hapless saloon owner Andy Watts (Lank).

A trumph for all involved.

Barbara Goulden