Cole Burden, Natascia Diaz, Bobby Smith and More Round Out CRAZY FOR YOU Cast at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for Signature Theatre's production of The Gershwins' & Ken Ludwig's musical comedy Crazy For You. This new production will be directed by Signature Theatre's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's West Side Story, La Cage Aux Folles) with choreography by Tony Award nominee Denis Jones (Broadway's Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas). Crazy for You will run from November 7, 2017 - January 14, 2018 in Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre.

Previously announced Danny Gardner (Broadway's Dames at Sea) and Ashley Spencer (Broadway's Grease) are set to star as Bobby Child and Polly Baker, alongside Bobby Smith (Signature's Titanic) as Bela Zangler, Natascia Diaz (Signature's West Side Story) as Irene Roth, and Cole Burden (Broadway's The Bridges of Madison County) as Lank Hawkins.

Gardner, Spencer, Smith, Diaz and Burden are joined in the cast by Sean Bell (The Radio City Christmas Spectacular) as Billy/Perkins, DeMoya Watson Brown (Signature's Jelly's Last Jam) as Louise, Kurt Boehm (Signature's West Side Story) as Mingo, Jennifer Cordiner (Signature's West Side Story) as Betsy, Tricia Desario (42nd Street, National Tour) as Margie, Sherri L. Edelen (Signature's Gypsy) as Mother/Patricia Fodor, Colleen Hayes (Signature's West Side Story) as Patsy, Andre Hinds (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar) as Custus, Elise Kowalick (Shakespeare Theatre's Romeo and Juliet) as Vera, Robert Mintz (Signature's The Visit) as Jimmy, Georgina Moore (42nd Street, National Tour) as Sheila, Corinne Munsch(Bullets Over Broadway, National Tour) as Mitzi, A. Ross Neal (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre's Nicholas Nickleby) as Moose, Maria Rizzo (Signature's A Little Night Music) as Tess, Robbie Roby (Broadway's Billy Elliot) as Wyatt, Thomas Adrian Simpson (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar) as Pete/Eugene Fodor, Harrison Smith (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar) as Sam, and Harry A. Winter (Signature's Hairspray) as Everett Baker.

"Crazy for You harkens back to the days of the MGM Musical, when Fred and Ginger glided across the floor, Gene Kelly tap danced in the rain, and Judy and Mickey saved the town by putting on a show," said Matthew Gardiner. "I grew up on those classic Hollywood musicals like Singin' in The Rain, Easter Parade and Swing Time. To finally get the chance to direct a musical that is such a beautifully crafted homage to those classic films and optimistic stage musicals of the 1930s is a real thrill for me, especially with choreographer Denis Jones by my side. Danny Gardner and Ashley Spencer are sure to be a dynamic duo, and with Bobby Smith (who was in the Original Broadway Production of Crazy for You) taking on the role of Bela Zangler, I can't imagine a better company of actors."

Bobby Child, a musical-loving banker sent to foreclose on a small-town theatre decides to revive it instead with the magic of the Follies, some slapstick comedy and a whole lot of charm. Crazy for You is flush with mistaken identities, a classic love story, tap numbers and George and Ira Gershwin's glorious songs including "I've Got Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Embraceable You" and "Nice Work if You Can Get It."

The creative team also includes Musical Direction by Jon Kalbfleisch (Signature's A Little Night Music); Scenic Design by Paul Tate DePoo III (Signature's A Little Night Music); Lighting Design by Jason Lyons (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar); Costume Design by Tristan Raines (The MUNY's Jesus Christ Superstar); Sound Design by Ryan Hickey (Signature's A Little Night Music); Wig Design by Leah Loukas (Signature's Freaky Friday); Associate Director Kelly d'Amboise(Signature's Act of God), Associate Choreographer by Robbie Roby (Signature's Beaches); Fight Choreography by Casey Kaleba (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar); Production Stage Manager Kerry Epstein (Signature's A Little Night Music), Assistant Stage Manager Jessica Skelton (Signature's Cake Off), and New York Casting by Laura Stancyzk, CSA.

Founded in 1989, Signature Theatre is a Tony Award-winning regional theater that broadens and brightens the region's cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works and engaging education and outreach programs. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, musical theater has become Signature's "signature," and the Theatre is renowned for its definitive Sondheim productions, inventive adaptations of overlooked or forgotten works, and investment in fresh new projects. Called a "musical theater powerhouse" by The Washington Post, Signature combines Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and aims to be a leading force in U.S. musical theater. Since its inception, the Theatre has produced 58 world premiere works-including 19 new musical commissions-and is home to the single largest musical theater commissioning project in the United States, The American Music Voices Project. Attracting talent from the DC metropolitan region and New York, Signature has grown to reach more than 100,000 people annually from the Washington, DC region and beyond. Signature has won 103 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 411 nominations.