Guys And Dolls

‘Manchester Musical Youth (Graduates)’ brought Damon Runyon’s short story characters to life in this classic golden age musical which focuses on a couple of big city gamblers and the women who love them.

I adored how the hired scenery flats had been used in an innovative way, effortlessly manoeuvring around the space to set up a range of formations throughout the performance to suggest different parts of New York. This demonstrated perfectly how to utilise what you’ve got to suit your surroundings, coping with the awkward performance space at Z-arts.  

This inciting creative approach would have benefited the production if it had continued into how the script itself was presented. Purely looking at the lib delivery in this zany and often madcap show, it didn’t quite ignite as much as it ought to which affected the somewhat relaxed pace. Classic shows are notorious for being rather lengthy at the best of times, therefor, work is needed to revive and inject the show with a fresh spark in order to present it for a modern audience, this is where the roots of staging a revival should be and is where the joy and the challenge of bringing an older show back to life should be found.    

There were secondary roles in this production which really stood out, characters that can so often be found in the shadows of the loftier front runners. Keirah Kirton certainly left a bold impression as General Matilda, proffering an enticing act which hit the marks for comedy value and potency and Connor James Boyle brought an exciting energy to his portrayal as Benny Southstreet.

Billy Morrison put in an enjoyable turn as Nathan Detroit, bringing a sort of nervous energy to the role with a pinch of ‘cool’ which favourably complemented the character. Sarah Binns gave a strong performance as his long-suffering Miss Adelaide, her accent wasn’t always consistent but nevertheless the calibre of her performance as an allrounder was certainly on display, she’s evidently got a mound of experience to offer and gives the sense of being comfortable on stage which is always a quality to make an audience relax knowing that they’re in safe, capable hands.

I’d guess that the audition piece for Sarah Brown was ‘If I Were A Bell’ as this was certainly the moment where Heather Harrison’s performance flicked a switch for me, her body language and engagement suggested a tentative and nervous act which jarred with the potential to offer a sturdier delivery. Tom Forth’s composure as Sky Masterson made this charming yet full of himself character a likable one rounded off with some pleasant vocals too.  So often the show stealer, Daniel Meyer put in an ardent turn as Nicely Nicely thanks to a rousing ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat’.

I’ve seen various interpretations of ‘Guys and Dolls’ where dance performances have been a front runner to the production yet in others, choreography has almost been non-existent – it’s a title that can certainly be enhanced by choreography but is one that doesn’t rest on it. For me, the choreography highlight in this rendition was the Crapshooters Ballet which was a visual treat, performed with mounds of vigour and zest – joint choreographers Sarah Binns and Sarah Bartlett can give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back for this piece. Movement throughout the production was kept within the genre and style commonly associated to this show though there were moments that weren’t as drilled as they perhaps could have been, however, everyone was focused and committed to the bigger picture which surpasses the occasional out of sync cast member.    

Any regular to a production by this group or any of the other MMY ranks will know you’re going to get a fair whack of your ticket value from the orchestra. Here was no exception as we were treated to an 11 strong ensemble of capable musicians, the tempos were arguably on the leisurely side at times but I appreciate this can be down to personal preference with no strict right or wrong conclusion, though, with a show being as lengthy as this one was I’d certainly have opted for a prompter pace and to cut some of the scene change music where there was no set to change.

‘Guys and Dolls’ has some excellent standalone showstoppers which pop out of nowhere. For a score with such celebrated anthems as ‘Luck Be A Lady’, ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat’ and ‘Take Back Your Mink’ you’d think such exciting melodies would aid in constructing an epic Overture, surprisingly, not one of these melodies feature in the Overture which centres around the slowies. ‘Guys And Dolls’ is a show I’ve given copious chances to grab me, sometimes it almost did and I must say that parts of this production impressed in parts that have failed to stand out to me previously. It’s an odd relationship I have with this musical – I want to fall in love with it but I think I need to accept that it’s one of those shows that I’m just not going to click with. Though, I feel I ought to point out at this point that this factor does not mean I stopped appreciating the production and the performances within it.

This was a production with yet more new faces which is always exciting and yet again, another offering from this company who demonstrate their capability across the vast scope of musical theatre genres which is always an impressive trait to be able to successfully pull off multiple styles. Copious congratulations.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.