Review: Young Talent Rolls the Dice (and Wins) in GUYS AND DOLLS

There is a particular kind of thrill that comes from watching young performers tackle a genuine piece of American musical theater history, not a junior version, not an abridged one-act, but the full-scale Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows classic, complete with its sprawling ensemble numbers, its layered book scenes, and its demanding vocal writing. 

City Springs Theatre Conservatory's production of GUYS AND DOLLS, which played at Byers Theatre June 26–28, took on that challenge with a cast entirely made up of high school students from across Metro Atlanta, and the result was a genuinely impressive showcase of what young performers are capable of when given the right material and the right guidance (direction by Kristine Reese and Billy Tighe).

GUYS AND DOLLS, first produced in 1950, is funny, warm-hearted, and packed with some of the most enduring numbers in the American songbook, from "Luck Be a Lady" to "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" to the tender "I've Never Been in Love Before." It is also, by any measure, a big show, with a large ensemble, elaborate dance sequences, and a runtime that asks a lot of its performers and its audience alike. That City Springs Theatre Conservatory mounted the complete production, rather than a trimmed-down version more common to youth theater, speaks to the ambition of this conservatory and the trust placed in its young company.

That trust was well earned. The production's four principal roles were each brought to life with real distinction. Parker Ingram made for a smooth, self-assured Sky Masterson, striking the right balance between gambler's swagger and genuine tenderness as his character falls for the buttoned-up mission worker Sarah Brown. Lily Bishop's Sarah brought a lovely vocal clarity to the role, charting her character's evolution from prim missionary to a woman surprised by her own desire with a naturalism that never tipped into caricature (even when she needed to portray an intoxicated woman). As Adelaide, the forever-engaged nightclub performer with the sniffles to prove it, Kennedy Johnson found the comic rhythms of the role without losing sight of the character's underlying vulnerability, a difficult balance that many far more experienced performers struggle to strike.

The standout of the evening, however, was Jake James as Nathan Detroit. James, a recent Jimmy Award winner, brought a level of comic timing, vocal control, and stage presence that immediately signaled why he has earned that recognition. His Nathan was fast-talking and endearing in equal measure, anchoring the show's comic engine with confidence and specificity in every scene. 

Beyond the four leads, this production benefited from strong work throughout its supporting company. Connor Patrick Green, as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, was quite a surprise. His showstopping rendition of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" delivered a big, confident voice that felt well beyond his years and drew one of the evening's most enthusiastic responses from the audience. Elsewhere, Brandt von Kutzleben brought a lovely, unforced sincerity to Arvide Abernathy's "More I Cannot Wish You," a quieter moment in the show that requires real emotional maturity to land, and von Kutzleben delivered it beautifully.

High school actors often default to broad, presentational choices, mistaking size for impact. This cast largely avoided that trap. Performances felt grounded and specific rather than pushed, which is a testament both to the individual performers and to the direction guiding them. The same was true of the dance work: the choreography throughout was executed with a level of polish and unity that spoke to serious rehearsal discipline. 

If there is a caveat to offer, it is one that reflects the source material more than this particular staging. GUYS AND DOLLS is, by its nature, an old-fashioned book musical, and its dance numbers (particularly in the Havana sequence and the Crapshooters' Ballet) are long by contemporary standards, built for an era when audiences expected extended, presentational dance breaks. With a large ensemble filling the stage for these numbers, there simply wasn't always room for dancers to move with the full-out energy and expansiveness that might have made these sequences pop even more. This is not a criticism of the performers or the choreography itself, both of which were well-crafted. 

That, however, is a minor note in an otherwise thoroughly satisfying evening of theatre. What audiences at Byers Theatre witnessed over these three performances was not a “high school production” of GUYS AND DOLLS, but the real thing, performed with commitment, skill, and evident joy by a company of young Atlanta-area performers who clearly have bright futures ahead of them. City Springs Theatre Conservatory should be proud of what it has built here: a program capable of producing full-scale professional-caliber musical theater with performers still in high school. On the evidence of this production, the future of musical theater in Atlanta (and beyond) is in very good hands.

GUYS AND DOLLS played June 26–28 at Byers Theatre, presented by City Springs Theatre Conservatory. To learn more about the Conservatory, visit the City Springs Theatre website.

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