Review: Scottsdale Musical Theatre Company Presents GUYS AND DOLLS

Damon Runyon had a nose for the gamblers, grifters, and gangsters of pre-Depression Manhattan ~ for their idiosyncracies, lingo, and accents. He sculpted a gallery of memorable personalities with equally memorable names and temperaments. From the 1931 collection of his stories that became Guys and Dolls, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows conjured up the 1950 musical that perfectly captured these characters and has been a prized theatrical chestnut ever since. Spice up the book with Frank Loesser's memorable songs (Luck Be a Lady, A Bushel and a Peck, I've Never Been in Love Before, I've Never Been in Love Before), and the odds were on the side of its becoming a classic.

Such a classic that GUYS & DOLLS has been an irresistible choice for production by regional theatre. Its latest iteration is in the seasoned hands of Scottsdale Musical Theater Company's Founder and Executive Producer, David Hock.

Hock has put all the pieces together for a fully enjoyable and light-hearted romp through the parallel flings between two guys ~ Nathan Detroit (Alex Gonzalez) and Sky Masterson (Matt Newhard) ~ and two dolls ~ Adelaide (Liora Danine) and Sister Sarah Brown (Lauren Koeritzer).

If you're a newcomer to the story line, here's a recap. Nathan is chomping at the bit to settle a debt that will free him to set up one of his notorious crap games ~ all the while avoiding the bit of marriage to Adelaide, his frustrated fiancée of fourteen years. He spots his mark in Sky Masterson and wagers what seems an absolutely winnable bet that Masterson can't woo Sister Sarah Brown of the Salvation Army to dinner in Havana, Cuba. The good and prim soldier of faith has the thankless job of saving sinners and confronting the closure of her mission if she can't show results. All in all, it's time for big scores and big payoffs ~ both in moola and in love.

From the spirited overture conducted by Kevin Hayward to the period sets and costumes provided by FCLO Music Theatre and The Theatre Company, respectively, the show is a delightful throwback to an era, despite its trials and tribulations, that seems more tolerable than today's chaos. For a couple of hours, Hock and his ensemble have transported the audience to a manageable comfort zone.

The leads all have great pipes, for sure, but some of the more dazzling and entertaining moments occur when Hector Coris as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Michael Schauble as Benny Southstreet appear. When these two guys take the spotlight, they're dynamite.

GUYS & DOLLS runs its limited engagement through January 8th at Tempe Center for the Arts.

Photo credit to Scottsdale Musical Theatre Company

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