Theatre / anna o'byrne
Review: Guys and Dolls, Hippodrome
Frank Loesser’s musical Guys & Dolls presents the shabby underworld of New York in brilliant, fantastical technicolour. The world of louche nightclubs and illicit gambling depicted by author Damon Runyon gets the full Broadway makeover, with bright lights, vivid costumes and extravagant dance routines.
The story is essentially a romantic comedy. Nathan Detroit (Maxwell Caulfield), who runs ‘the oldest established floating crap game in New York’, bets top gambler Sky Masterson (Richard Fleeshman) that he cannot persuade the prim and proper Salvation Army Sergeant Sarah Brown (Anna O’Byrne) to come away to Havana with him. Meanwhile, Nathan has to keep placating his fiancée of 14 years, formidable nightclub singer Miss Adelaide (Louise Dearman). There’s a smidgen of philosophy about the nature of commitment, how much one should expect a person to change for love, and whether the needs of ‘guys’ and ‘dolls’ can ever be reconciled, but mainly the tale just serves as a backdrop for a host of vivid production numbers and some fine tunes.
Fleeshman’s Sky has an exceptionally demonic air about him (particularly in the eyebrows), which makes a nice contrast with the naive holiness of O’Byrne’s Sarah. His performance of Luck Be a Lady feels like a ritual of invocation, not just a sizzling showstopper. Caulfield presents Nathan Detroit as a shambling mess, his unpressed suit and crumpled hat the external manifestation of a man who cannot even commit to an iron, let alone a marriage.
But the absolute star of the show is Louise Dearman, worthy recipient of the biggest cheer at the curtain call. Her Miss Adelaide is touching, funny and absolutely smashes her songs, aided by the fact that she does get some of the best tunes, especially the witty, bittersweet Adelaide’s Lament.
The other standout performance comes from Jack Edwards as Nicely Nicely Johnson. This is a big part, often under-acknowledged, which involves not only carrying both the opening number and the title song Guys and Dolls, but also leading the highlight of the evening – Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat. This is the supreme big production number in a show which features quite a few classic Broadway-style dance numbers (like the beautifully choreographed Crapshooters’ Dance), and is delivered with all the vibrancy that the audience was hoping for.
Guys and Dolls is not a sophisticated piece. But this is a nicely executed production, and with its bright colours, retro choreography and catchy tunes it offers perfect escapism for a post-referendum Bristol summer where it never seems to stop raining.
Guys and Dolls continues at the Hippodrome until Saturday, July 16. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/guys-and-dolls/bristol-hippodrome
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