Girl Crazy and the tough shoes to fill

[Robert Bouton]

As a piece of music, Girl Crazy is hard to top. I love a Gershwin
tune, and there's not a clunker in this score. Rob Fisher's orchestra
is delightful, though it doesn't match the star wattage of the 1930
original, which included Glen Miller, Gene Krupa, Jack Teagarden and
Tommy Dorsey.

But the harder shoes to fill, it turns out, are those of original
leading ladies Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman. Becki Newton's vocal
limitations rob classics like But Not For Me and Embraceable You of
their buttery deliciousness. Ana Gasteyer can hold a note for an
impressive length of time, but she puts no spin on it, no spirit, so
you stare at your second hand, rather than enjoy.

The book, significantly tailored for Encores by David Ives, is, like
most pre-Oklahoma librettos, lacking in interest, sense or feeling.
Luckily, it's never long until the next glorious number begins. I've
far higher hopes for the next Encores: Fanny, directed by Marc Bruni.