After a feverish festivity like Super Bowl weekend and a glamorous Valentine’s Day, it is time to cap off the celebrations with Villanova’s newest blockbuster. President of Villanova University, Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, is the director of the upcoming musical, Crazy for You. It is scheduled to open on Feb. 15. However, members of the Wildcat family have the privilege of a free showing at 8 pm on Feb. 14 for “Wildcard Wednesday.”
On Friday, Feb 9, The Villanovan had the opportunity to sit down with Father Peter to discuss his upcoming play. Father Peter touched on his extensive path in theater life, describing his strong arts based background.
“I’ve been doing [theater] since I was a little kid,” Father Peter said.
He graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in theater and communication arts in 1975. He additionally holds a Master of Arts degree in theater from the Catholic University of America and a PhD in theater from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
When Father Peter was working towards his doctorate degree, he served as a theater teacher at the University of Illinois. From 1992 (the year he became the Theater Department Chair) to 2006, he was annually directing productions that dazzled Villanovans and non-Villanovans alike. The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia has even recognized him as a talented administrator of the arts, awarding him with a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.
“It’s two and a half hours of escape,” Father Peter said about his show, and Crazy for You is guaranteed to be an escape. The production follows Bobby Child, a down-on-his-luck uptown banker in the 1930s who dreams of making it big as a Broadway dancer. After his employer sends him to Nevada to foreclose a theater, he becomes intertwined with the likes of the theater owner’s daughter, pulling him into a hysterical adventure full of love, dreams and showstopping dancing skills.
Fans of the classic American songbook or the original Crazy for You production by Ken Ludwig and Mike Ockrent will be nostalgic to see Villanovans performing a cultural classic with a modern spin. Crazy for You features musical treasures written by the puissant princes of the Jazz Age, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Jazz connoisseurs will enjoy hearing notable classic tunes like “I Got Rhythm” and “Embraceable You,” on the stage.
“One of the biggest things [the actors] had to learn was tap-dancing,” Father Peter said.
The cast for Villanova’s version of Crazy for You will boast approximately 30 members, including undergraduates, graduate students, staff and alumni. Many other Villanovans have also shown interest in the upcoming production.
“Father Peter is always a lot of fun, so something he directed will be fun,” Sophomore Dimitri Vassiliou said. “I know the costumes are very exquisite.”
“I heard that every year’s play is better than the last, so it’s supposed to be an amazing show,” Freshman Kasey Wood said.
All performances of Crazy for You will take place in Topper Theater in the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. The show will be running Thursday from Sunday, Feb. 15 to Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Whether one is craving some quality theater or simply looking for weekend entertainment, make sure to check out the show and witness the wondrous Villanovans work their magic.
