Musical comedy 'Crazy For You' a rousing success

The dancers leave the stage as they rehearse for the production to be onstage at Deadrock, Nevada. Bobby Child (Alex Dalbey) is in front. Dancers pictured are, from left, Adrienne Strickfaden, Cameron Meyer, Emily Arnold, Abby Strickfaden and Lindsey Morris. Hidden behind Child is Abbie Bilyeu.
The dancers leave the stage as they rehearse for the production to be onstage at Deadrock, Nevada. Bobby Child (Alex Dalbey) is in front. Dancers pictured are, from left, Adrienne Strickfaden, Cameron Meyer, Emily Arnold, Abby Strickfaden and Lindsey Morris. Hidden behind Child is Abbie Bilyeu.

A musical comedy was performed at California High School Saturday and Sunday. "Crazy for You," featured the music of George Gershwin. It was performed by members of the CHS "Sounds of Joy" as well as several other students. The production was directed by Michele Bilyeu. There is dancing and singing of Gershwin numbers throughout, sometimes by the most unusual of characters at the most unexpected times.

The fun musical begins in New York in the 1930s at the Zangler Theater, as the Zangler Follies engaged in their last performance of the season. Bobby Child (Alex Dalbey) is hoping in vain to land a job as a dancer and singer with the theater. Afterwards, his fiancee Irene Roth (Morgan Henley) and his mother Mrs. Lottie Child (Rylee Glenn) argue while Child daydreams about dancing and singing "I Can't Be Bothered Now." A member of a rich banking family, his mother sends him to Nevada to foreclose on an old theater.

The theater owner's daughter, Polly Baker (Hannah Banderman), the only girl left in town, finds out that Child is coming and is determined on revenge if she ever meets him. Also wanting the theater, and apparently Polly, is Lank Hawkins (Garrett Imhoff), owner of the saloon.

Child comes into town nearly dead of thirst, and immediately falls in love with Polly. As he recovers, he schemes to save the theater by putting on a show, but since Polly won't work with him, he pretends to be Zangler, working with several Follies girls who have arrived on vacation. Everything becomes very complicated, since Child is in love with Polly, Polly is in love with who she thinks is Zangler, the fianceé from New York shows up, and Hawkins threatens to shoot Child. On opening night, the audience is slim to say the least, with a couple of Brits - Eugene and Patricia Fodor (Allan Burger and Miranda Matthews) working on a travel guide. But the town is all of a sudden lively with the Follies girls present and rehearsals for the show.

When the real Bela Zangler (Matt Oerly) shows up, the action becomes really involved. In the second act, when Polly realizes the deception, and Child ends up going back to New York to work in the bank. But he realizes Polly is more important, and heads back to Nevada. Polly, cast as a lead in the show at the theater in Nevada, realizes she is in love with Child, and starts for New York.

At the end, Polly and Child are back together, Child's mother and Polly's father hit it off, and Child's former fiancee´ is married to Hawkins, the saloon owner.

Sounds of Joy Senior cast members were Abby Strickfaden, Alex Dalbey, Walker Borghardt, Allan Burger, Morgan Henley, Emily Arnold, Rylee Glenn, Madison Henry, Miranda Matthews, Garrett Imhoff, Brian Douglas, Kyle Lee, Matt Oerly and Gavin Pickering. Junior cast members were Hannah Banderman, Abbie Bilyeu, Savannah Jungmeyer, Rozalyn Martensen, Lindsey Morris, Mason Albertson, Jacob Small, Adrienne Strickfaden and Taylor Hampton. Sophomore cast members were Dylan Silvey, Cameron Meyer, Caleb Stahl. The lone freshman was Jack Johnston. Also in the musical were seniors Alysha Mettle, Rosie Swillum, Taylor Vines and Cody Hentges. The backstage and tech crew was Katie Imhoff, Ashtyn Goans and Emily Bilyeu.

Others involved included: set crew, Joe and Denise Banderman, Jason Bilyeu, Rodney Henley and Wyatt Henley; music, Ginger Moore and Stacy Friedrich; sound, Tim and Marcia Burgher; lights, Emily Bilyeu; lights, sound, set, Brad Friedrich. Many other students helped with the set and the Friends of Music provided meals during the production.