The transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2014 production of Guys and Dolls follows hot on the heels of Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre, and boy did it have a lot to live up to, especially when you consider that both were originally some of the most popular examples of the decade.
New Yorker, Gordon Greenberg, directs this revival, showing the darker side of Broadway in the Fifties; from gangsters running illegal gambling dens to seedy nightclubs with chorus girls long past their prime – and his familiarity and love of the city shows. High impact sets and costumes by Peter McKintosh, along with skilful lighting designed by Tim Mitchell also ensure that the audience remains equally gripped by the goings-on at shady street corners or the bright lights of the Great White Way, where Guys and Dolls first premièred in 1950 and left with five Tonys including Best Musical.
Telling the story of a group of small-time gamblers and the ladies in their lives, Sophie Thompson achieves nothing short of comedy genius in her portrayal of the long-suffering Adelaide, the cabaret singer of Hot Box who has developed a chronic cold due to being engaged to gambling rackeeteer Nathan Detroit for fourteen years. Both Thompson and Jamie Parker, who is hugely charismatic as the slick high-roller Sky Masterson, reprise the roles they received so much acclaim for at Chichester, with new member of the crew, David Haig, taking over from Peter Polycarpou as the down-but-not-out Nathan who runs the oldest established, permanent floating crap game in New York.
In order to secure the $1,000 down payment for his next gambling venue, Nathan bets Sky that he can’t persuade the local Salvation Army sergeant, and all round goody-goody, Sarah Brown (Siubhan Harrison) to go on a date. Sky doesn’t need much persuading to accept the challenge and duly attempts to convince her to dine with him at his favourite restaurant – which happens to be in far-flung Havana. Surely this is one bet Nathan can’t lose?
With Sarah oblivious that her decision to accompany Sky will decide the fate of a dice game, thus the action yo-yos between the two cities, and although Harrison is new to the production, you would never know it, for she proves both a convincing singer and actress, particularly when the halo slips following one too many Cuban cocktails. She, like all the four leading characters, are brilliantly well developed thanks to a plot that is easy to follow and a cast comfortable whether performing in Shakespearean plays or the golden age of musicals. They are supported by equally strong lesser roles such as the towering gangster Big Jule (Nic Greenshield), the blundering Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Gavin Spokes), and the formidable General of the local Mission (Lorna Gayle).
Meanwhile musical director Gareth Valentine and orchestrator Larry Blank made it a pleasure to re-visit Frank Loesser’s big show-stoppers like ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ along with the songs made popular by Frank Sinatra, ‘I’ve Never Been in Love Before’ and ‘Luck Be a Lady’, nor can this timeless show fail to put a smile on your face with its sparkling comic numbers ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ and the title song ‘Guys and Dolls’, particularly when coupled with the captivating choreography of Andrew Wright and Cuban ballet legend Carlos Acosta, who certainly went to town when the action arrived at his birthplace of Havana, with a sensational dance-on-the-tables routine that revelled in the seduction of Latin American rhythm with a memorable hip-swivelling rumba.
This Guys and Dolls also does full justice to the witty book by Abe Burrows, with the audience shouting with laughter at Adelaide’s persistent run of bad luck in securing Nathan as her husband, not to mention the many jokes observing the age-old habit of women wanting to remodel the men in their lives. As the show hurtles towards the finale, both Adelaide and Sarah decide that they are better off marrying their men today and changing them tomorrow. Only time will tell if their gamble pays off, but one thing’s for sure – this production is a sure-fire winner and Olivier awards a pretty safe bet.
Guys and Dolls at the Savoy Theatre until 12th March 2016 before touring the UK. For more information and tickets visit the website.
