Guys and Dolls

There was a great deal to like about this production, particularly the decision to put the orchestra at the back of the stage.  The principal benefit of this was that the sound balance was far, far better than is often the case in this venue; the singers were never swamped by the musicians, and the lyrics came across really clearly.  The Society wisely chose to keep this production true to the musical’s roots in 1930s New York, and the scene-setting “Runyonland” featured several cityscape stories cleverly woven together, with key moments timed to musical cues.  However, the decision to turn “Fugue for Tinhorns” into more of a company dance number, featuring an original routine using stiffened newspapers, reinforced the impression that this would be more self-consciously a show than an evocation of time and place, and that’s fair enough.

In any event the success of this musical depends on the extent to which the two improbable love stories at the heart of the story engage the audience.  The relationship between Nathan Detroit, who runs “the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York”, and Miss Adelaide, star turn at the Hotbox club, is nothing new – we quickly learn that the couple have been engaged for fourteen years - but the tensions implicit between them are coming to a head.  Meanwhile, the love affair between confident bachelor Sky Masterson and mission doll Sarah Brown explodes out of nowhere as the result of a foolish bet.  Can we believe in these characters and in their feelings for each other?

In this production we could, and the wonderful array of characters in the chorus was also convincingly brought to life.  The sheer number in the company was remarkable – there a very few societies in the distract who could have assembled quite so many male performers – and the quality of their unaccompanied, harmony singing, and their signature dance routines (most notably in the sewer), was deeply impressive.

The brass and wind in the orchestra conjured up the chapel and the nightclub equally effectively, while the electric keyboards provided a gentler accompaniment to some of the more reflective numbers.  The choreography ranged from the energetic “Havana” to the stylised “The Crapshooters’ Dance”, with the dancers throwing some appropriate hat-tipping, dice-rolling shapes which were particularly striking in silhouette.  This scene was further enhanced by the monochrome costume plot, with the period men’s suits a notable strength.

Many members of the audience felt moved to give the company a well-deserved standing ovation at the end.  Quite right too.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.