Guys and Dolls

“Guys and Dolls “has lyrics and music by Frank Loesser and is one of my favourite Musicals. Set in New York the story centres around two romances between very different characters. It also has some of the most iconic songs of musical theatre in its score which include “Luck be a Lady” and “Sit Down You Rocking the Boat”. So I was really looking forward to seeing Pleasure Folk’s production of this show and I was not at all disappointed as I had an enjoyable evening.

Directed by the talented Gemma Briscoe the cast and backstage crew worked very hard to bring to the stage this entertaining production. There were some good performances on offer from the cast which included Lisa Proctor as Salvation Army Sargent Sarah Brown with Ian Lawson as her love interest Sky Masterson the gambler who accepts a bet that he could not persuade Sarah to go to Cuba with him. They were very believable as the unlikely lovers and both maintained their very different characters throughout. Liz Wainwright and Steve Rutter were excellent in the comedic roles of the dizzy night club entertainer Miss Adelaide and her on off fiancé of fourteen years Nathan Detroit who runs an illegal floating crap game. Steve Coghlan as Nicely Nicely Johnson  who works for Nathan Detroit expertly led the company in an excellent rendition of “Sit Down You Rocking the Boat” and one of the most enjoyable performances of the night was given by Charley Nicol as Sarah’s Friend and fellow Salvation Army Officer Agatha, Charley has a lovely voice and sang beautifully. Other enjoyable performances were produced by the actors in the supporting roles as well as the ensemble who all performed as a team with energy and enthusiasm and all appeared to be enjoying themselves. Generally diction, clarity of words and American accents were respectable which meant the story was easy to follow, however there were some occasional prompts taken by some members of the cast but they did not appear to affect the pace of the production or the audience’s enjoyment of the show.

The band led by Musical Director Nancy Wells supported the cast well and played at just the right level of sound. Choreography by the team of Gemma Briscoe, Jess Hill, Lyndsey McGinn and Liz Wainwright was suitable for the era and the show.
The set, sound and lighting were good and costumes were just right, fitting the era and the production, so well done to all backstage crew.

Congratulations to Director Gemma Briscoe and to all involved in this entertaining production and for a very enjoyable evening. Thank you for inviting me, I hope to see you for your next production.

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