Guys and Dolls

I was very pleased to be invited to a production by ESPA. I had only seen professional productions of Guys and Dolls and so was interested to see how a community theatre group would approach the show, and I was not to be disappointed by this slick performance. The programme was informative and beautifully presented with many photographs.

I was delighted to see a nine-piece band, with a strong brass and woodwind section, led by Jamie Cordell. The overtures and all numbers were excellent. The silhouette of a 1950s New York skyline allowed some great lighting effects on the cyclorama from Will Perkins, Show LX. I also particularly liked the church window projection on the floor of the Mission Hall. The raised rostrum was well used and there were slick set changes of the news stand, trees and doorways by the Backstage crew lead by Ethan Woolsgrove and Amelie Farrow. The costumes team had provided costumes of an impressive standard. The Mission Band's uniforms were exceptional, Hot Box Girls’ A Bushel and a Peck and Take Back Your Mink were beautifully detailed.

One of the most outstanding elements of the production was the choreography by Chloe Roberts. All of the Hot Box Girls were excellent dancers. Whilst I was expecting complex dance numbers for the Hot Box Girls, I was not expecting the whole ensemble to participate in such elaborate and challenging dance sequences throughout the show- and to a high standard by all. Luck Be A Lady and Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat were outstanding.

All the Mission Band members and smaller principal characters had strong voices and there were some great harmonies in ensemble numbers. Alex Derbie as Abernathy had endearing sincerity; Paul Hyde brought energy to Nicely-Nicely and both he and Ben Hopkins as Benny Southstreet had excellent comic timing. Edwin Lawrence as Harry the Horse was particularly successful in dance numbers.

Lily Porter is a strong performer with an outstanding voice, bringing an innocence to Sarah Brown. She handled her transformation in the Havana drinking scene well, sustaining subtlety. She also successfully resisted overplaying in the challenging If I Were A Bell. Brandon J Arnold took a more naturalistic approach with Sky Masterton which he did well overall. He was successful in showing Sky’s softer side and attraction to Sarah, but he did so too early in Act 1. He was less believable as a gangster - Sky needed more edge if his journey was to provide a shocking transformation from bad guy to Mission Band Member.

Adam Collins has an excellent voice and brought a believability to the commitment-shy Nathan Detroit. His duet with Philippa Kennedy Sue Me was extremely funny. They were well cast, with excellent energetic chemistry in this pairing. Phillippa Kennedy was a standout performer. She had great comic timing but also brought sensitivity and nuance to Miss Adelaide particularly in both Adelaide’s Laments which were very touching.

An outstanding production with a polished professionalism shown by all creatives, cast and crew. My guest and I were most impressed.

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