Guys and Dolls

 

There are people who love Shakespeare and people who love Jane Austen. I love musical theater. I’ve loved musical theater all of my life. There are some shows I like better than others.

“Guys and Dolls,” currently at Music Circus, was never one of my favorites. It’s OK. I’ve seen the movie several times and have reviewed the stage show five times and was never blown away — until I saw this Music Circus production.

My word, is it wonderful!! I may have to move the show into my “favorites” category.
This musical by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows — based on short stories by Damon Runyon, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser — is set on the streets of New York in the 1940s, and the characters are so stereotypically delicious that we can’t help falling in love with them.

These are the lowlifes, gamblers, showgirls and gangsters, and the Salvation Army-like missionaries who try to save their souls.

While everyone in the show is terrific, the real “star” of the show is choreographer Michael Lichtefeld, who has created fabulous dance numbers that blend seamlessly with the storyline. Particularly wonderful was the dance during the overture.

Kudos also to costume designer Marcy Froelich for all those terrific 1940s “gangsta” costumes, especially the wonderful striped suit of Nathan Detroit (Jeff Skowron), desperately trying to find a place to hold his “oldest established floating crap game” in New York, now that Lieutenant Brannigan (Ron Wisniski) is hot on his tail and has managed to seal up all the “usual” places.

It is particularly necessary to find a place to accommodate “Big Jule,” in from Chicago and ready to play. Jerry Gallagher is a wonder. Head and shoulders above everyone else, he is a talented hulk who personifies someone named “Big Jule” and the actor’s bio says he has played this role all over North America and Europe and even on a cruise ship.

Into the world of the dedicated gamblers come the Salvation Army-type missionaries, trying to win souls for God, especially naive, idealistic Sarah Brown (Ali Ewoldt), under the guidance of paternal Arvide Abernathy (Lenny Wolpe), whose love for Sarah is expressed beautifully in “More I cannot wish you.”

Charming gambler Sky Masterson (Edward Watts), who has a girl in every port, sets his sights on Sarah.

From the first moment of their meeting, sparks fly between the two actors and the chemistry is magic.

Detroit has been engaged for 14 years to the long-suffering Miss Adelaide (Lesli Margherita), a singer and dancer at The Hot Box; she’s beginning to worry that they’ll never get married. Adelaide only dreams of settling down in a real home with Nathan.

Their duet, “Sue Me,” is a true crowd-pleaser.

There is a whole stable of wonderful cast members, led by Michael Paternostro as Benny Southstreet, Carlos Lopez as Harry the Horse, and Evan Harrington as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, who delivers the show-stopping “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

The popularity of, and enduring affection for, Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls” is easily seen in its award history. It swept the Tonys in 1951, the year it opened on Broadway (where it ran for 1,200 performances), winning not only “Best Musical,” but also awards for Best Actor, Actress, Director and Choreographer.

It had nominations again for Best Actor (Jerry Orbach) in 1965 and was nominated in 1977 for Best Revival of a Musical.

In 1992, it again won an award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as awards for Director, Choreographer and Actress, with four additional nominations for the revival. In 2009, it was again nominated for Best Revival.

Various productions also hold Drama Desk awards, Olivier awards and Helpmann awards. It was picked to receive the 1951 Pulitzer Prize but because Burrows had been investigated by the House Unamerican Activities Committee, the trustees of Columbia University chose to withhold the award, so no Pulitzer for drama was awarded that year.

Guys and Dolls has a number of familiar tunes (“I’ll Know,” “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” “If I Were A Bell,” “Luck Be A Lady”). It would be surprising if the audience did not emerge humming one of them at the end of the evening.

Guys and Dolls

One of the best things about Davis Musical Theatre Company’s new production of “Guys and Dolls” was seeing co-producer, musical director, set, light and sound designer Steve Isaacson in the major role of Nathan Detroit (played by Frank Sinatra in the movie).

Isaacson has been sidelined for a long time with physical problems and it’s great to see him on stage again, in such a big part. And who better to play a New York wise-cracking scoundrel than a former New Yorker. Detroit runs the “oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York.”

Jan Isaacson is co-producer, director and choreographer, making this show a real family affair. Isaacson has become a very good choreographer and knows how to work with dancers and non-dancers and make everyone look good.

“Guys and Dolls” is an adaptation of several Damon Runyon stories written in the 1920s and ’30s, of a fictional group of saints (missionaries) and sinners (gamblers) and is filled with familiar songs that seem to have been around forever, such as “A Bushel and a Peck,” “If I Were a Bell,” and “Luck Be a Lady.” The music is by Frank Loesser and the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

While there are several good performances in this production, outstanding is a newcomer to DMTC, Bridget Styles as Miss Adelaide (“the famous fiancee”), who has been engaged to Nathan for 14 years and still hopes for a wedding some day.

Styles is perfect, without going overboard, as it is so easy to do when portraying the bleach-blonde prohibition-era showgirl at the Hot Box. She is particularly good when describing the psychological effects on the body of unrequited love (“Adelaide’s Lament”).

Jori Gonzales is the idealistic, but sheltered missionary Sarah Brown, head of Broadway’s Save-a-Soul mission, determined to bring new souls to God. She is confused by her attraction to Sky Masterson (Tate Pollack, also making his DMTC debut) and is surprised to learn she has an adventurous side when Masterson convinces her to accompany him on a wild night in Havana.

Sarah’s grandfather, Arvide Abernathy is a warm-hearted missionary, with only Sarah’s good as his primary concern. Don Draughon gives a lovely soliloquy in “More I Cannot Wish You.”

Among the group of Nathan’s cronies is Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Hugo Figueroa, who, according to his program bio, is only 24 years old, but who has appeared in 26 DMTC shows). Nicely-Nicely has the show stopping “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” and sets all toes to tapping.

Mary Young, who has been with DMTC for 33 years, gives a spirited performance as General Cartwright, in town to assess the mission to see if it should be shut down or not.

Isaacson got a little carried away with the lighting design for this show, mostly with overuse of the follow spotlight which was occasionally distracting.

Jean Henderson had fun with the costumes, particularly those for the show girls at the nightclub, and also for the ensemble in the opening number, where each costume nicely explains who each person is without the need for words.

Guys and Dolls

 Eimi Taoramina as Adelaide, Travis Nagler as Nathan,
Daniel Silva as Sky and Kirsten Myers as Sarah

 This is a frustrating time to be a critic. Some folks think that “critics” are supposed to find things to “criticize,” but lately the local shows have been so good I have nothing whatever to grumble at.
Another excellent opening this week is the Woodland Opera House production of “Guys and Dolls,” that delightful 1950s Frank Loesser musical, based on the 1920s and ’30s short stories of Damon Runyon. This production is directed by Jason Hammond and choreographed by Staci Arriaga, with musical direction by Jia-Min Rosendale and vocal direction by James Glica-Hernandez.

Set design by Don Zastoupil is minimal and based on a cartoon theme, which works surprisingly well.

It’s a dream cast. While everyone is outstanding, the real stand-out is Eimi Taormina, as Miss Adelaide, the nightclub performer who has been engaged to small-time gambler Nathan Detroit (Travis Nagler) for 14 years and is hoping to finally get him to the altar.

Taormina always has had a sparkle that makes her impossible to ignore when she is on stage. It has been very special watching her progress from “ensemble” to leading roles. This may have been one of her best. She recently announced her impending relocation to the Bay Area, which will be a tremendous loss to several local theater groups.

Nagler, as Detroit, commands the stage. He has the build and demeanor of a jazz-age thug, but underneath the gruff exterior is a heart of gold. He is particularly endearing when shepherding a group of low-lifes to the failing Save-a-Soul mission to help mission director Sarah Brown (Kirsten Myers) look good in front of her boss, General Cartwright (Nancy Agee).

Myers is a beautiful Sarah, with a gorgeous voice to boot. She is dedicated to her calling to bring sinners to God, but is reluctantly willing to compromise her principles if it will help keep the mission on its financial feet. She finds it surprisingly easy with the addition of several Cuba Libras, which she does not realize is an alcoholic drink.

The nefarious gambler intent on deflowering Sarah is Sky Masterson (Daniel Silva) who discovers that he, too, has a heart somewhere as he falls victim to Sarah’s innocent charms.

There are a host of New York characters with wonderful names like Nicely Nicely Johnson (Erik Catalan), Benny Southstreet (Gil Sebastian), Harry the Horse (David Cross) and Big Jule (Spencer Alexander).

It is Catalan who sings the rousing “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat,” made famous by Stubby Kaye in the 1955 movie. Catalan has a powerful voice and gets not only the mission, but the entire opera house rocking with his unforgettable performance.

Bob Cooner is Arvide Abernathy, Sarah’s grandfather and her second in command at the mission. He is wise in a grandfatherly way and offers the timely advice, “But more I cannot wish you than to wish you find your love / Your own true love this day.”

Lenore Sebastian is also fun to watch, first as a New York street person, and then as one of the members of the Mission band.

There are many songs in this show that became classics of the era — like “If I Were a Bell,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sue Me” and “The Oldest Established Floating Crap Game.”

Denise Miles’ costumes are fun, especially the costumes for Adelaide and the Hot Box dancers. Arriaga’s choreography is splendid throughout the show.

If this newspaper gave stars, I would give this production five stars. But we don’t, so all I can do is encourage all lovers of musicals to get to the Woodland Opera House and give yourself a treat.