PSST! Presents “Crazy For You” June 28-July 21

In the musical number “Can’t Be Bothered Now,” Bobby is surrounded by showgirls as he dreams of being a successful dancer who “can’t be bothered now.” Bobby’s fiancée, Irene, argues with his mother, Lottie, about the best job for Bobby to have. Bobby just wants to run away from all the hoopla. In the musical number “Bidin’ My Time,” the cowboys of Deadrock show that not much happens in their Nevada desert town.

VALDOSTA — Peach State Summer Theatre will begin an 11-performance run of the hit Gershwin musical “Crazy For You” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 28, in Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre. Tickets are on sale now. 

Written by famed playwright Ken Ludwig and featuring music and lyrics by legendary songwriters George and Ira Gershwin, “Crazy For You” is a “zany rich-boy-meets-hometown-girl romantic comedy that tells the story of young New York banker Bobby Child, who is sent to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a rundown theatre,” according to Tams-Witmark. “In Deadrock, Bobby falls for spunky Polly Baker, the theater owner’s daughter. But Polly takes an instant dislike to the city slicker, so Bobby vows – through cunning, razzmatazz, and a hilarious case of mistaken identity – to win Polly’s heart and save the theatre.”

The production includes memorable Gershwin tunes such as “I Got Rhythm,” “Naughty Baby,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “Embraceable You,” “But Not for Me,” “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

Described as “fast-paced and light-hearted,” “Crazy For You” is a “truly delightful homage to the beloved, optimistic musicals of the 1930s,” according to Stage Agent.

“Crazy For You” premiered on Broadway in February 1992 and found great success there, playing 1,622 performances before its close in January 1996. The show premiered in London’s West End a year later, and the production has since seen numerous national and international tours and revivals. The show has garnered numerous award nominations and 11 wins, including the Tony Award (1992), Laurence Olivier Award (1993), and Dora Award (1994) for Best Musical and many more awards for the show’s choreography, set design, and costume design. 

“Crazy For You” is sponsored in part by VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration Master of Business Administration in healthcare administration degree program and Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honors Society.

Individual admission is $32 for adults and $28 for students and senior citizens, including taxes and fees. A discount is available for groups of 10 or more.

The Peach State Summer Theatre Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. It is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the corner of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street, and can be reached by calling (229) 259-7770.

Peach State Summer Theatre, or PSST!, is Valdosta’s premiere professional summer stock theatre. Each summer, dozens of singers, dancers, technicians, managers, and creators from across the region and country gather on the campus of Valdosta State University for 10 weeks, and during that time, they rehearse, build, and present three musicals in rotating repertory.

The 2019 Peach State Summer Theatre season marks the 30^th year of VSU producing professional theatre for the city of Valdosta, the state of Georgia, and beyond. From 1990 to 2004, VSU produced the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival. In 2005, the summer theatre program was relocated to the university and renamed PSST! 

The Georgia Legislature designated Valdosta State’s summer stock theatre program the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia.

VSU’s Jacque Wheeler serves as the artistic director of Peach State Summer Theatre. H. Duke Guthrie is the managing director.

Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst for more information.

“Crazy For You” Performance Schedule

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 28
• 2 p.m. Saturday, June 29
• 2 p.m. Thursday, July 4, Pay What You Can Performance
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6
• 3 p.m. Sunday, July 7
• 2 p.m. Thursday, July 11, Interpreted for the Deaf in American Sign Language
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 13
• 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 17
• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 18
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 19
• 3 p.m. Sunday, July 21