Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls happens to be one of my favourite musical, and I was concerned about a concert version, could it work? I need not have worried as it was in the capable hands of an old stager Keith Jackson, partnered with Stephanie Healey. These two took Guys and Dolls in concert and made it very enjoyable indeed. They had moulded their actors to learn the script and act it out and act they did !!!

Great performances from Mel Newman (Sarah) and Graham Lord (Sky). Stephanie Healey (Miss Adelaide) was perfectly dizzy and her voice squeaky a perfect characterisation - great!! She was teamed with Nick Swain as Nathan Detroit and they gave us most of the comedy.  The team of Nicely, Rusty and Benny (Sam Digby, Derek Elmore and Ian Watton) worked together as a team. Nice cameo parts from Marion Marshall as General Cartright and Lorraine Camp as Arveen Abernathy, tugged at the heart strings with her “More I cannot give you”…a song I have sang a couple of times as Arvide Abernathy.

MD Irene Gardiner got this company to a good standard of principal and ensemble singing and, along with Peter Bailey on keyboards, it was the right accompaniment for this Guys and Dolls. Costumes were good as always and yes I noticed the shoes. Well-done Hotbox girls. Scenery was simple and needed to be as a concert should be. I liked the Hotbox lighting the shadows gave it a feel of old Vaudeville..

Only gripe I have, too much makeup on the gents!!                                                       

All in all this was a very well directed Guys and Dolls I would say, leaning more towards a full blown musical rather than a concert BUT St Paul’s you pulled off a winner!!!

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