High energy, high kicking and gloriously glamorous, Crazy for You is the ultimate feel-good musical with a fabulous score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook. Mistaken identities, plot twists, heartbreak, happiness and a wealth of memorable tunes, including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Embraceable You, all feature in this Broadway classic.
Tom Chambers is starring in the piece, which arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday (March 20).
He talked all things dance with Total MK...
It's a long time ago now, but as Top Hat had its premiere in Milton Keynes, can you remember how you felt on that original opening night here?
I was terrified, at the Top Hat premiere because as with brand new shows it always feels like you’ve not had enough time to prepare. Because it was such a huge undertaking to step into the shoes of Fred Astaire I knew that potentially I had bitten off more than I could chew.
I just remember feeling like a glass bottle, lined up with a hundred other glass bottles on the wall, shaking thinking that they could all tip over and smash onto the ground. It was truly terrifying but Top Hat was such a lovely success and the audience, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice!
And of course, how it feels to be returning to Milton Keynes...
For the very fact that Top Hat was my first big musical on the road, apart from having done White Christmas which was equally as loveable and enjoyable, but because it was Top Hat’s first venue it will be great to visit Milton Keynes again because I have such lovely memories of being there. I remember my wife being there with me, and we had only just had our son, William, who was only six weeks old so it was a momentous occasion for many reasons. It will bring back such wonderful memories. With Crazy For You it will be lovely to bring such a feel-good factor show to the audiences in Milton Keynes.
Can you explain the allure of dance for you? How does it make you feel?
Do you have a particular dance that is a favourite? And how demanding is it being so active on stage day after day? Does it take its toll?
Dance for me happened all by mistake!
I didn’t know what tap dancing was, but then I saw those matinee idol films with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and fell in love with the idea of pivoting and balance and almost playing the drums with your feet.
It had an exciting sense of jeopardy as you precariously balance and almost seem to be floating on air. It makes me feel like floating as they say. When you’re doing something as absorbing as dancing it really makes you feel like you’re floating.
It’s lovely, almost like being in the Matrix, you become part of the flow of movement so it’s a very special experience. Especially when choreography really matches the music. Tap dancing is obviously my favourite type of dancing but having had the chance to be on Strictly Come Dancing I did obviously love having the chance to try and succeed as well as possible in all the styles of Latin and Ballroom.
I think the foxtrot and the quickstep were two of my favourites, along with the American Smooth. It sounds like I’m saying all of them! I also loved the salsa and the Argentine tango. I’ve realised that you have to become an athlete, you have to take your work seriously enough that your body is in tip top condition which means eating the right foods, not just thinking you can get away with eating five burgers and ice creams every day.
I try and have complex carbohydrates like porridge and granola as well as good sources of protein. In my dressing toom there’s kale, spinach, carrots and ginger to put in smoothies with egg whites and tabasco for some protein. Stretching is also important for your ligaments. I wear skins which compact your muscles and whenever we stop in a venue by the sea I like to swim in the sea, even when there’s snow outside, as the cold water is great for reducing inflammation and swelling.
I also have an ice bin that I go into during the interval and after the show! It’s probably one of the most demanding jobs that I’ve done as you want to give the audience 100% for every single show.
If we could grant a wish, which role would you most like to perform on Broadway?
I would most like to take Crazy For You to Broadway and perform Bobby. I’ve always wanted to play this role. Having seen it in the 1990s when it first came out with Ruthie Henshall I thought it was the funniest musical I had ever seen and had the brilliant Gershwin music and tap dancing so ticked all the boxes!
I would also like to revisit Top Hat on Broadway and I’d love to play the Gene Kelly role in Me and My Girl. That’s three rather than one though!
Tell us a little bit about Crazy for You from your perspective - it has that brilliant score, of course, but what most appealed to you about the musical, and what makes it stand out from the pack?
What has appealed to me most was that I found when I first saw it that it was just so funny. Many musicals are just songs and dances with dialogue in between but the script of Crazy For You is so funny.
There’s the fun of mistaken identity, romance and you find that the audience from the first moment of the show starting they are already smiling and laughing because it is like a ray of sunshine from start to finish.
And for those that have yet to take a ticket to Crazy for You, sell the show!
This is the kind of show you come to, sit back, relax and let the music take you away. The music can transport you to a world of nothing but pure joy in comedy, Gershwin’s fantastic score including ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’, ‘Embraceable You’ and ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’, and of course our secret weapon – our cast of actor musicians who sing, dance, act and play instruments on stage every night.
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