Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls remains a firm favourite with Societies and their audiences and is virtually guaranteed to fill the theatre. On this occasion, I attended the Saturday matinee and saw an excellent show in Johnstone’s new Town Hall. As there is no raised stage and as the seats are in tiers, the audience and performers are in close proximity with each other and I am sure this enhances the production. The cast has to look upwards to the audience and not downwards as in the old venue and that makes a huge difference.
The plot is easy to follow and Frank Loesser’s lyrics and score are well set in the minds of most of the audience – so success was assured. Jamie Montague in his debut appearance with the group played an excellent and elusive Sky Masterson with David MacDonald equally elusive as Nathan Detroit in maintaining his long engagement to Adelaide played beautifully and scattily by Eleanor MacKay in her first show with the group. Her main numbers “A Bushel and a Peck”, “Adelaide’s Lament” and “Take Back Your Mink” (with the Hotbox Girls) were a triumph, well sung and acted with clarity shining through the accent – a really memorable performance. The Gangsters were well characterised in the forms of Benny (Craig Prentice), Harry the Horse (Ally Hill), Nicely Johnson (Scott Sutherland) and Big Jule (John Peacock). On the Mission side, Jennifer Bell took the leading role as the dignified (sometimes) Sarah Brown with the talented Ian Usher as Arvide Abernathy. Carol McLaughlan played a dignified General Matilda B Cartwright and Eileen Pennie and Tracy E Howe took the minor roles of Agatha and Martha. The group’s President Ian McGregor took the role as the cynical Lieutenant Brannigan, always turning up just too late to be effective. 
Musical and comic highlights are, of course, the concerted numbers “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”, both well acted and sung with plenty of contrast between the characters.   And of course, glamour was provided by the gorgeous troupe of the Hotbox Girls. To sum up – I would say “Nicely, Nicely, Johnstone!”

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