"In this show dance equals joy" - Chichester Festival Theatre

Running until September 4 starring Charlie Stemp and Carly Anderson, the production marks the 30th anniversary for the show Susan choreographed on its debut back in 1992.

After a Washington, DC try-out and ten previews, it opened at the Shubert Theatre on February 19 1992, and ran for 1,622 performances. The West End production, again choreographed by Susan, ran for nearly three years.

Susan returned for the show for a one-night celebration in New York City for its 25th anniversary but this is the first time she has returned to it as a full-scale production: "It is lovely to be doing it in Chichester. We know about Chichester in New York City as a magical place. Everybody talks about Chichester and everybody wants to work here and when I got the call from (artistic director) Daniel Evans about a year and a half ago, I jumped at the chance.

“It doesn't seem like 30 years and of all the shows I have done I can remember the choreography for Crazy For You like it was yesterday. There was so much choreography and it was such a joyous show and it was my first Tony Award and my first big show on Broadway. It was just something so special for me and it's such a great show for now. In this show dance equals joy and the timing of it just could not be more perfect.

“I knew how special it was when I read it and when I heard the music. There is no greater music than Gershwin. I knew Gershwin. I grew up listening to Gershwin and Kern and Porter and when I was asked to do this show now, it just felt right. This is a show that will just make you feel happy.”

With music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and book by Ken Ludwig, it tells the tale of theatre-mad Bobby Child who is torn between his show-business dreams and his rich, demanding New York fiancée and rich, demanding New York mother who want him to run the family bank.

On his mother’s insistence, he reluctantly heads west for the bygone mining town of Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a mortgage...

“The thing about Crazy For You is that it is about romance and about falling in love and giving up everything for that person that you love. But it's also the story of a town that has dried up because the theatre is closed. And you see that now. Once theatres close, once museums close, towns can just shut down.”

And that's where it draws a fascinating parallel with our post-pandemic times: “It is about the first time you go to live theatre again. It’s about what happens when theatre opens up again. It doesn’t matter whether I'm doing this in New York or Chichester or London. The actors are what matter and it is the actors that inspire you. And when you are inspired by the actors, the show will change with them. Working with Charlie Stemp on this show, it has been enriched by his talents. Shows are always changed by the actors.

“But it is wonderful here. I love working over here. I've been lucky enough to do several shows that have transferred over here.”