My thoughts on GUYS AND DOLLS (very, very long)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 7:56pm

There are two productions of GUYS AND DOLLS on stage at the Nederlander Theatre. The first is the one starring Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit and Lauren Graham as Adelaide. The second is the one into which everyone else is amassed. Both are directed by Des McAnuff. The second is a solid out-of-town tryout. The first is a prime example of not enough rehearsal.

Platt and Graham are not bad. She sings very well for someone who isn't trained, and I've always had a crush on her. He's got stage presence. Neither has formed a character; they're still experimenting. Today, he was Nathan Detroit as played by Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden. She doesn't even have close to a definite character, delivering her lines in a stilted, halting manner that makes it seem like Adelaide has been lobotomized. Both are stiff and unsteady; her stage inexperience shows through her nerves. It's her nerves and unsteadiness combined that turn two potentially showstopping numbers, "Bushel and a Peck" and "Take Back Your Mink," into dead fish.

But the show comes alive with Craig Bierko as Sky and Kate Jennings Grant as Sarah. Move over Kelli and Paulo; Craig and Kate are infringing on your territory. Chemistry (yeah, chemistry!) oozes from their pores and every crevasse of their body. They sing very well, surprisingly, considering that this is her first Broadway musical and he went through THE MUSIC MAN in the Robert Preston school of speak-singing.

Grant, one of New York's most valuable stage actors, makes a stunning Broadway musical debut in a tough role and deserves all the recognition she is sure to get.

McAnuff's production is a fascinating, darker, more naturalistic take on the classic musical, in my opinion, the best musical ever written. The design is reminiscent of the CAROUSEL production that's currently playing in London: mammoth set pieces (designed by Robert Brill) that dwarf everything on stage (including two HUGE marquees (reading "Always Open 10 Shows A Day" and "BURLESK") that dwarf the stage itself and projections to punctuate backgrounds (designed by Dustin O'Neill).

While there are a great many moments where the production just lays there (whenever Platt and Graham are on stage), it is a strong example of how you can modernize a classic without really murdering it (hey there, Shinn, Parker, Rickson, Haimes!)

McAnuff's through-line for the show begins during the Overture (lovingly and carefully reorchestraited by Bruce Coughlin, with Ted Sperling creating incidental music), with Damon Runyon on stage, at a typewriter, typing out "Broadway Stories. By: Damon Runyon" (The colon is unnecessary.) "Damon" dances through the entire production, keeping a watchful eye on the action; so much so that, before "Marry the Man Today," Sarah's line "oh, go away" takes on a new meaning.

Being the third preview, McAnuff welcomed us with his trademark "this may be a train wreck" speech. I figured he would. In fact, there was a brief train wreck, during the Havana scene, where a set piece froze and had to be rolled out manually.

The pacing in the first act is deadly (at least, it is when Platt and Graham are on stage); the second is far stronger and swifter. Sergio Trujillo's choreography gives the ultra-skilled ensemble of dancers (John Selya, Nick Adams, Kerran Giovanni, among them) the chance to shine. But a sequence like the Crapshooter's Dance is dwarfed by a set that's far too large and looming and, quite frankly, looks like it was taken right out of Roundabout's PAL JOEY.

Steve Rosen and Mary Testa are the stars of the featured players; Titus Burgess is experimenting with accents, but he still manages to raise the roof off the joint with a soulful "Sit Down..." (thanks to Testa's presence) and "Guys and Dolls" (he and Rosen are a delight). Glenn Fleshler and Jim Ortleib and Adam LeFevre are strong in their roles and Ortleib manages to make a case for an otherwise throwaway song like "More I Cannot Wish You."

GUYS AND DOLLS and I go way, way back. I can't really describe how perfect a piece I believe it to be. I wanted to love this production; perhaps I should have waited until later in previews. Ultimately, I found it to be just fair, but enjoyable nonetheless. And if we take away anything from the production, it should be a new-found respect for one of NY's best unknown stage actresses, Kate Jennings Grant.

Updated On: 2/7/09 at 07:56 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 8:01pm

Bruce Coughlin created the new orchestrations.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 8:48pm

Noted.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 9:02pm

Thanks Yankeefan...great review. I'm in pretty much agreement with everything you said. I also liked Kate Jennings Grant and hope she gets great reviews.

[broadwayfan113]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 11:40pm

My friend started a new blog that has information on Broadway.
It can be viewed here: http://bwaybeat.blogspot.com/
For one of his posts, he's looking for reviews from the first preview of Guys & Dolls on Feb. 5. If anyone has one, would like to write one, or knows of one... if you have a second can you please send to him? Thanks!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 11:58pm

Lauren Graham has said before that she is trained. Obviously not the same as most of the rest of the cast, but she started in theatre and has been trained in singing.

Thanks for your thoughts - I agree with most of your review. I'm hoping it gets better before opening. However, I think Oliver Platt was HORRIBLE. I could barely watch him on stage I was cringing so much.

I am obviously a huge fan of Lauren already, but I thought she was so adorable in the role and very funny. And I think that once she settles into it and the nerves dissipate she could be great.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 2/7/09 at 11:58pm

i was at the show this afternoon as well. i thought it was pretty good. i agree about platt and graham. they werent horrible tho. it worked fine for me i'm not picky at all. i loved kate jennings grant and titus burgess. i liked the set, even tho i could'nt see half of it. the student tix are very partial view to anyone wondering. i had E17. i saw most of the main action but missed alot of the background stuff.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:34am

I have a feeling Lauren Graham will get a lot better as time goes on. And I hope the same goes for Platt...I don't really like him but I'm anxious to see his take on the role when I see the show in two weeks.

Thanks, yankeefan, as always.

[Actor 7]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:47am

I wonder how the actors are reacting to a situation with these circumstances? They are rehearsing long hours in a theatre that is still being painted and refurbished. The dust and dirt and paint fumes have to be issues they are dealing with. Must be difficult. Have to give them credit for working under these conditions and then giving a performance each evening. It's during these previews that they usually find their characters and iron out the trouble spots. It will be very interesting to read these posts after G&D has its' official opening. Something tells me there will be vast improvements for most of the actor's performances by this time. I give them credit for the many hardships they have to deal with under the circumstances. Can't be easy.

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 6:00am

Everyone is making me excited to hear this version of "Sit Down, You're Rockin the Boat"!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 8:19am

Yes. All the problems with the production are entirely fixable.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 11:14am

"Sit Down, You're Rockin the Boat" is great. one of my favorite parts about the show!

[DrTheatre]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 12:14pm

I am surprised there is no audio or video of Lauren that has surfaced online yet!!!!

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 12:18pm

I appreciate YankeeFan as well, so I'll edit myself.

Updated On: 2/8/09 at 12:18 PM

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 12:49pm

There is already one out there

Just sayin'

[willep]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:24pm

There is?? Where?

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:52pm

edited to yankeefan's request. Updated On: 2/8/09 at 01:52 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:57pm

Damn you people are bootleg people hungry!

I do not like to listen to audios before actually seeing the show. I think it ruins the experience.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:59pm

I'd appreciate it if all the talk of illegal audio left my thread. I don't wish for it to get deleted. I'm very happy with the comments I've made.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 1:59pm

As do I. I got this after I saw the show though lol. It's just an mp3 of Lauren singing Adelaide's Lament. I really like her voice. Her acting, like I said, was a little all over the place. She has to get the character down. She'll improve.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 2:01pm

I agree with Yankee. There are other G&D threads more appropriate for bootleg discussion. There really wasn't the thread to start it in.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 2:02pm

Oh no, I know. I don't actually want to continue with it. It's just a clip. No biggie. Everyone should definitely go see the show to form an opinion. It's worth it

[philcrosby]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 2:04pm

I was thinking of ordering tickets fast until I got to the point in your review about the "Damon Runyon character" --- BLECH! A local production tried the very same thing at it became off-putting and annoying almost immediately.

Whatever happened to just trusting the text ... especially in one of the best musicals ever written?

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 2:06pm

While I agree that the character wasn't needed, I wouldn't NOT see the show based on that lol. If you like Guys and Dolls you will definitely like this production. You might not love it, but you'll like it. Go just to see Kate and Craig. They're alone worth it.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/8/09 at 2:33pm

I kinda disagree with whoever said that previews is the time the actor finds his character.
That's what rehearsals are for, sure it can be developed further but you better have a pretty good sense of what you are doing before an audience (even a preview audience) gets there.
These days previews are about mostly for dealing with the technical aspects of the show.