Sunday afternoon, Quintin and I attended the Muse Machine’s 29th student production, CRAZY FOR YOU, and were pleased to be surrounded by good friends.

In December, I was invited to the closed performance featuring all the understudies, and loved every minute of it.  Sunday’s performance was just as incredible, and greatly enhanced by the sets, costumes, props, and orchestra.

The young performers were fantastic.  I always enjoy the final performance as I know the emotions of closing night, especially from the senior cast members, will prompt even stronger performances.

The choreography by Lula Elzy was some of the best I’ve seen on the Muse stage.  There was such an electrifying energy reaching me in the third row – and I am certain it pushed its ways to the top of the balcony.

The highlight, for me personally, was the fresh, crisp staging that has not been prominent in recent Muse productions.  This 1992 Tony Award-winning musical was enthusiastically, and magnificently staged on the Victoria Theatre boards by Wright State University’s own Joe Deer.  I’ve seen many Wright State theatre musicals staged by Mr. Deer, and CRAZY FOR YOU definitely had his stamp, and even a collegiate feel.  This was damned exciting stuff!

I’ve seen every Muse production since 1991, and from 1992 through 2008, I had no fewer than four students in key roles.  The past several years of transition have been slightly evident in the staging, and the energy was often lacking in the show’s ‘look.’  I can only hope that Mr. Deer and Ms. Elzy can remain at the helm of future Muse Machine productions for many years to come.  This combination worked beautifully, and brilliantly.

The ‘look’ for Muse’s production, CRAZY FOR YOU, had many tremendous professional-quality moments, and there were one or two of those moments that literally blew me away.  Watching Davis Sullivan and Jeremiah Plessinger mirror one another in Act Two, immediately followed by their duet, “What Causes That?,” was absolutely hilarious, and clever.  I don’t think this scene, and many others like it, would have been as strong without the attention and detail to characterization led by Mr. Deer.  I believe the choreography was even stronger with character-driven dancers.

Bravo!

I am glad to see the polish, and professional ‘look’ of Muse Machine productions restored, and enhanced.  I am looking forward to this new journey.

I was CRAZY for this production!