Guys and Dolls

The classic Broadway fable ‘Guys and Dolls’ is one of the mainstays of the musical theatre repertoire and rightly so, as its breezy charms are infectious. This production also celebrates the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Hippodrome Theatre Company, a milestone which is certainly worth shouting about as the Hippodrome is now a very well established, much admired and respected cornerstone of artistic life in the area. ‘Guys and Dolls’ - with its winning combination of music, drama, love and laughter  - is therefore the perfect way to celebrate ten years of Hippodrome magic.

The show kicks off in fine style with the ‘Runyonland’ sequence and into the ‘Fugue for Tinhorns’, pitching the audience into the world of the gamblers on Broadway straight away. The stage had some lovely lighting touches and a nifty back projection to give a flavour of the brash and bustling Broadway backdrop. A wonderful touch was added with the Mission Band playing their own instruments as they marched around the stage - and through the auditorium - which was very impressive: full marks to Angela Schofield, Gillian Mason and Christine Spencer as the Salvation Army’s musicians extraordinaire! The orchestra ‘proper’ - under the always reliable baton of Lisa Manley - seemed to struggle to find its feet initially (a rare occurrence in the Hippodrome pit, it’s true) but soon recovered to give a smooth and snappy rendering of this iconic score. 

Everybody’s favourite incompetent hustler, Nathan Detroit, was brought to life very nicely-nicely by Riz Riley. There was a touch of Robert DeNiro about Riz as he blustered his way through one narrow escape after the next and the road to his eventual ensnaring/marriage (the choice is yours dear reader) was nicely handled too. This was a warm and likeable performance of a classic character from the world of musical theatre which sat well with the rest of the cast of colourful characters on stage. While on the subject of colour, the costumes in the show were simply splendid: the bright neon stylings of the gamblers’ suits was an inspired idea with the character colour coding on display provided an extra classy touch. Josh Hindle as Sky Masterson sailed through proceedings majestically, giving the role that confident solidity which is so important. At no point in the show did Sky’s resolve waver and the audience never doubted his winning ways: spot on. Bumbling sidekicks Nicely Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet were played with just the right amount of baffled bumbling by Matt Whatley and David Smith, charming the audience with their vocal stylings on a number of occasions, with Simon Thompson braying very well throughout as Harry the Horse; Simon’s needy clutching at Big Jule’s coattails was particularly well done too. Ryan Collett managed to make something of the role of Rusty Charlie - never an easy task when surrounded by so many other flamboyant characters - and George Bailey mastered the art of maintaining a threateningly still centre in the middle of the crucial crap game in the sewer as Big Jule. Eric Beardsworth gave a beautiful turn as Arvide Abernathy, exuding avuncular cheeriness by the bucketload and if Andy Bell flustered just a little too much as Lieutenant Brannigan, it at least suited the character’s ineffectual incompetence reasonably well.

So much for the guys - but what of the dolls I hear you cry?! This production was well served by the presence of two of the Hippodrome’s finest female vocalists: Jessica Balderstone as Adelaide and Jade Brett as Sarah. Jessica brought plenty of sparkle to the Hot Box as the comically hypochondriac Adelaide and was very much the belle of the ball - even though it took two acts (and fourteen years!) to get Nathan to the altar. Jade was very much straight down the line as Sarah, making her tipsy spell in Havana all the more comical as a result and the girls’ scene together in Act Two was a lovely moment. The relationship between Sarah and Sky was also very well judged and they made a very effective pairing. Laura Schofield’s turn as General Cartwright was also a little gem: an often overlooked little role which Laura brought a brisk reality to, rather than plodding through the lines with no real feeling. 

Act One sets up the challenges of the plot and introduces us to the characters and this production wasted no time in zipping along through the opening numbers in fine style. The Hot Box scenes were particularly effective with the charming curtained entrance for the dancers and a superbly suave MC in the form of Elliot Griffiths. The Hot Box Girls’ routines were for me the most successfully choreographed numbers in the show and twinkled magnificently. Similarly, the opening section was very well arranged and drove the narrative along at an excellent pace. In contrast however, I was a bit let down with the staging of the iconic song ‘Guys and Dolls’: Nicely and Benny sang well but I thought the staging of the number was a little thin. On a similar note, the big Crapshooters dance in Act Two lost a little of its ‘oomph’ by having the ladies appear (perhaps in an attempt to give the piece something of the flavour of an ‘R&H dream ballet’?) rather than rely on the roustabout charms of the men alone. I did feel that there were also times when the cast seemed to hug the sides of the stage rather than take full advantage of the lovely playing space available on the Hippodrome stage. 

The scenes in the Save a Soul Mission came across very well and I thought the Act Two showstopper ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat’ was particularly well handled: solid vocals and some effective choreography with a light touch which created a lovely stage picture. In contrast, there were a few scenes in the show which seemed to be dashed through rather than savoured - one thinks of the Havana sequence, the gathering of the gangsters in Act One and ‘Sue Me’ in Act Two - which was a shame. I’m afraid I did rather miss the lack of an Irish accent from Brannigan too - and Arvide’s Scottish accent didn’t happen either which was a shame, particularly as it complements the ‘Highland’ musical flavourings sprinkled through his song. Having said that, Eric’s strong performance still managed to make ‘More I Cannot Wish You’ one of the high points of the show for me. 

This was a solid and entertaining production and was a fitting celebration for the company’s tenth birthday. The cast were obviously enthused and really threw themselves into bringing their characters to life, the sense of fun and the lively engagement with the material really showed. By the time we reached the happy ending of the finale, the audience had been won over by the infectious charm of the evening’s entertainment. My thanks go as always to all at the Hippodrome for a great night out and for continuing to produce solidly crafted live entertainment of the highest order. Keep up the good work!

 

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