She’s Got Rhythm--and a Lead Role

When casting the national company of “Crazy for You,� Susan Stroman immediately thought of Karen Ziemba for the role of Polly Baker, the feisty farm girl who falls in love with a big-city playboy.

“She’s someone who really does sing, really does dance and really does act,� says Stroman, the musical’s Tony Award-winning choreographer. “The way theater has developed, via the British invasion with ‘Les Miz’ and ‘Miss Saigon,’ those pieces are absent of choreography. I think the young talent now develops their craft for the musicals that are around. Dance has not been a part of it. ‘Crazy for You’ is very difficult to cast because of that.�

The national production of the Tony-winning musical of Gershwin tunes continues at the Shubert Theatre through Aug. 22.

Ziemba and Stroman had collaborated a few times previously, including on the hit John Kander and Fred Ebb Off-Broadway revue “And the World Goes ‘Round,� for which Ziemba won a Drama Desk Award.

“She’s truly an unbelievable talent where each aspect of musical theater is as strong as the other,� Stroman says. “To me, she’s the ultimate Polly. She’s extremely funny. She’s a Lucille Ball who can dance like Ginger Rogers.�

And Rogers just happens to be one of Ziemba’s role models. “I wasn’t like a Cyd Charisse person,� says Ziemba, 35, who began her professional career in the early ‘80s touring the hinterlands in “A Chorus Line.� She eventually made her way to New York, debuting on Broadway in 1982 in “Chorus Line.� Two years later, she got out of the chorus and into her first starring role in “42nd Street.�

“I never really related to those beautiful glamorous (dancers) like Rita Hayworth or Cyd,� she continues. “They were like sassy glamour girls. I liked women like Ginger, like Judy Garland, who had a little something extra. They could really pour on the tears but they could be funny. Ginger was beautiful but she was a little offbeat.�

The Missouri-born, Michigan-raised Ziemba was introduced at an early age to the worlds of music and dance. Her grandmother had been an opera singer with New York City Opera; music always filled the house. Her mother loved dance and enrolled Ziemba in dance lessons. “My mom always wanted to dance,� Ziemba says. “She pushed me in that way. She used to watch all of those old movies, so I used to watch them with her. She loved Gene Kelly and Dan Dailey.�

Ziemba breaks into a wide smile. “The person I would like to meet is Gene Kelly,� she says. “He’s a very sexy person, but the fact he could also swoon a woman through his dancing. . . . There’s something very special about that.�

Speaking of swooning, Ziemba recalls one of her favorite moments in “Crazy for You�: when James Brennan, as Bobby Clark, sings the hauntingly romantic “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.�

“Fred Astaire sang it in the film ‘Shall We Dance,’ � Ziemba says. “The way we do it in our show, I am just standing there. I am not facing him and I am hearing this beautiful orchestration. It is just so sexy. It’s wonderful and romantic. I just love standing there and listening to him sing.�

“Crazy for You� is the third national tour that has brought Ziemba to Los Angeles. Two years ago, she was part of the ensemble of “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway� at the Shubert and last fall she reprised her performance in “World Goes ‘Round� at the Henry Fonda. Ziemba has signed to do “Crazy for You� for a year with Brennan, who she says is her favorite dance partner. The two tapped together on Broadway for a year in “42nd Street.�

Ziemba admits touring can be a double-edged sword. “If the company enjoys being together every night, working on the road can be a lot of fun and very satisfying. If people don’t get along it can be difficult.�

On the plus side, she says, “You get to experience all different types of audiences in every city that you go and experience just being in a different place. It’s very difficult to get a chance to do a show like this, a role this wonderful. If the role doesn’t open up in New York, you have to go elsewhere. I am excited about doing the show here.�

And she’s enthusiastic about learning more about her craft. “I think the older you get, the better you can get,� Ziemba says. “In my case, I just keep trying to soak up as much as I can. When I come home from a show, I really like to have American Movie Classics on TV. I can sit in the evening, have a light meal and watch a good old movie. I learn so much from watching those old films.�