Guys and Dolls

Another strong production from TOPS, this musical is a well-loved favourite which will, usually, attract good audiences.  Unfortunately, this was not the case on this evening, which is such a shame because the production was very good.

The opening song. Fugue For Tinhorns is one of my favourite show songs.  It is quite a technical song to sing and Bob Ryall (Benny Southstreet) Mick Messenger (Rusty Charlie) and Gary Sullivan (Nicely-Nicely Johnson) performed it well after a slightly shaky start.  It was also good to see that Gary had the character of Nicely-Nicely nailed, I was waiting to see what he would be eating next!

Charlotte Cavedasca played the lead Sarah Brown well and she has a stunning voice which she used to great effect in all her songs.  Her characterisation was also very good, well timed and with plenty of facial expression.  Matthew Purton played Sky Masterson with great style although he did seem to find a couple of the songs a little bit of a challenge.  Together they made an awesome pairing, moving smoothly through the show.

Vikki Purton played Miss Adelaide, one of my favourite roles, perfectly.  It could be easy to take this character too far but Vikki had it just right, the accent, the walk, the character.  Her delivery of the key song, Adelaide’s Lament, was terrific.  I also loved Rob Morley’s performance as Nathan Detroit, another perfectly balanced performance.

John Hunting was delightful as Arvide Abernathy, another of my favourite show characters, he was sympathetic and his delivery of his song, More I Cannot Wish You, provided a lovely quiet moment in the show.

TOPS did well to muster the required 12 men, many societies fail in this respect but every performer on stage deserved their place and contributed fully.  I don’t have space to mention everyone I am afraid.  But I must compliment the whole cast on a very enjoyable performance. 

The dancers were excellent and Ann Sullivan’s choreography was perfectly balanced.  I loved the costumes; the colourful men’s suits, the hot box costumes, the ladies’ dresses.  Yes, a lot were hired in from a professional company, so they should be good, but it is the attention to detail in the accessories that can make or break a ‘look’.   In this case it was all well put together, so well done to the two wardrobe ladies.

As always Paul Lazell’s scenery was good; this theatre is a challenge as it does not have any flying facilities but the scene changes were very slick indeed, done by the cast smoothly and with speed so that we really didn’t feel there were any breaks in the flow and pace of the show.

The band, under the direction of MD Patrick Tucker, was nicely balanced, did not drown any of the dialogue and supported the singing well.  Having the band in the auditorium is not a particularly easy set up but they all did well.

I really enjoyed the performance and I hope that the audiences improved through the week, the company deserved a good audience to appreciate their efforts.   Thank you TOPS for your hospitality and for a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

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