Guys and Dolls

I love the show Guys and Dolls, so I was excited to go along to see North Manchester AODS`s production of it. The set, designed and constructed by Mark Beaumont, was compact and worked beautifully in the NWTAC theatre space. All the significant areas were clearly marked out. Mark had also designed the lighting plot to illuminate these so the audience was able to follow the plot easily. Costumes from The Boyz were very much in keeping with the era portrayed. Sound by Katie Gough was good with no gremlins, drops or glitches. The choreography by Jayde Rylance was fairly basic but executed to a good standard - it`s difficult when it is a very mixed ability cast. Some standout choreography for me was “Sit Down, You`re  Rockin` the Boat” - the syncrocity was tight, sharp and slick. I didn`t hear any prompts from prompter Linsay Lowe.

Adrian Davison gave us some great vocals as Sky Masterson, he used his stage space well and had some nice chemistry on stage with the rest of the cast but, personally,  I would have liked to see more of a cheeky chappie side to his characterisation, for me he was almost too clean, he needed to be a bit more of a bad boy with a twinkle. Sasha Carillo as Sarah Brown also gave some great vocals but again I didn`t quite believe her characterisation – I didn`t see the chemistry between the two characters Sarah and Sky on stage

Emily Fitzpatrick as Miss Adelaide gave a great comedic characterisation complete with high pitched accent and laugh – she made me think of Janice in Friends, she had some superb scenes with Nick Lowe as the loveable rogue, Nathan Detroit. Her delivery of Adelaide`s Lament had the audience laughing out loud, she used some fabulous big facial expressions and hammed it up without tipping it over the edge. Nick Lowe as Nathan used his stage space well, pace was good, dialogue was clear, he had a natural way of placing himself open to the character he was talking to on stage instead of inadvertently blocking someone. Elliot O`Brart as Nicely-Nicely Johnson by accident stole every scene he was in, he completely encapsulated his characterisation, his comedic timing is incredible, his facial expressions were large and to the audience, he was confident and the audience knew they were in safe hands.  David Lawton as Arvide Abernathy had a lovely gentleness to his characterisation, he looked at the person he was talking to instead of looking past them or off into the distance. The ensemble worked hard, harmonies were tight, it was very obvious that Musical Director Jon Gibson had been putting everyone through their paces. He started the band off at a nice trot and kept it up throughout the show, the balance between music and vocals was beautifully level.

Thank you for inviting me to your production of Guys and Dolls. Myself and my guest enjoyed it, hope to see you all again soon.

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