Guys and Dolls
Mac-Haydn Theatre, Chatham, N.Y.
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, lyrics and music by Frank Loesser; directed by Mandy Modic
“So, sue me, sue me, what can you do me? I love you.”
Hollywood songwriter Frank Loesser (They’re Either Too Young or Too Old” for Bette Davis) had come to Broadway with “Where’s Charley?” for Ray Bolger in 1948. It was a big hit. Two years later he wrote “Guys and Dolls” considered to be a classic, and almost perfect musical which was filmed in 1955 and kept mostly intact except that Frank Sinatra sang more then Sam Levene had as Nathan Detroit in the original. The show’s opening depiction of life in Manhattan at the time has remained and director/choreographer Mandy Modic has put this musical gem, called Runyonland, onto the Mac-Haydn stage perfectly with cops, drunks, gamblers, crooks and tourists all well defined by the excellent company of players that this theater has assembled.
With one minor exception this production is a fabulous presentation of the show: The first act is so fast-paced that the jokes Abe Burrows crafted for the show, along with some of Loesser’s amusing lyrics, get lost and don’t have the proper reactions from the audience. Folks want to laugh and this show provides many such opportunities but the production zips by so fast that reaction is denied them.
That being said, this is one of the finest productions I have ever seen of this show. Belle Babcock’s Salvation Army Sergeant Sarah Brown is brilliantly sung. Tristan Caldwell’s Sky Masterson is illuminating, not a caricature but a living, breathing human being with a stunning personality and singing voice. Ian Federgreen plays Nathan Detroit as a person, not a personality, and is more musical than usual. Miss Adelaide, as played by Bridget Carrow, brings out the compassion of the audience through her sensitive rendition of her “Lament” and the delivery of her spoken lines. Modic has given the characters who surround this foursome a fierce reality that almost makes us feel like we are eavesdroppers and not audience.
Spencer Stanley’s Nicely-Nicely Johnson is a stand-out performer throughout the show and when he gets his big number in Act Two, “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” it is a show-stopper. Aryell Beaulieu-Shaffer’s Chicago gangster Big Julie (also a character in “Pocket Full of Miracles”) is truly threatening. Kitty Baker as General Matilda B. Cartwright has a few surprise moments which were delightful. Jack Dossett and Jack Iovanella as Benny Southstreet and Rusty Charlie as Nicely-Nicely’s compatriots in the opening song “Fugue For Tinhorns” gave the show its very special flavor. In general the company is giving a very good performance and whisking me back to Midtown in my childhood which is a very great achievement these days.
Loesser wrote songs for characters that swiftly became standards still popular today, seventy-five years later: “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” “If I Were a Bell,” and “Luck Be a Lady” still excite the mind and body as they emerge from their character’s mouths. Modic’s depiction of Havana, Cuba was superb as dancers interact with the show’s principal characters and the motif of jealousy enters the picture.
Often seen as a “joke” show this production uses its softer, tender moments to encourage not only the characters for the audience to experience those very human experiences that we tend to overlook and even ignore. Great applause followed Pat McGuire’s performance of Arvide Abernathy’s song “More I Cannot Wish You” as he encourages Sarah Brown to overlook Sky Masterson’s shortcomings and to deal with true love as it should be dealt with. I always wish that the show’s finale would keep him playing his drum, but not even Mandy Modic has allowed this to happen.
A true highlight of all productions of this show comes late in the second act when the two heroines happen to meet at their darkest moments and commiserate about their disastrous loves. Carrow and Babcock sing the play’s darkest song “Marry the Man Today” with exquisite earnestness. It is another almost show-stopper as their very different voices combine into a single vocal statement.
This Mac-Haydn production has utilized the talents of their designers very well. Emma Cummings non-descript setting works very well for every location and Andrew Gmoser’s inspired lighting design highlights everything we need to see, every moment of the show. Bethany Marx has dressed her players in the most appropriate ways with sometimes hilarious results. Sean McGinley’s sound design work is excellent, not a word was missed.
I really appreciate a job well done and this show, one of my earliest memories, has been given both respectful dues and sensational values. It is probably one of the best things you will see all summer long. It has opened for a three-week run and there should never be an unoccupied seat in the house. It is that good.
Guys and Dolls runs at the Mac-Hayden Theatre, 1925 State Route 203, Chatham, NY through July 6. For information and tickets go to www.machaydntheatre.org or call 518-392-9292.
