Review: GUYS AND DOLLS at Shakespeare Theatre Company

I have a somewhat embarrassing admission: for a longtime theatre enthusiast, there are a shocking number of evergreen plays, particularly musicals, which I have not seen. Happily, I can now subtract "Guys and Dolls" from that list. Almost exactly 75 years after the show opened on Broadway, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has mounted a thoroughly engaging new production.

The lights come up on Walt Spangler's impressively designed set: the interior of a Manhattan thrift shop run by the Christian charity organization Save-a-Soul, a locale frequented by many less-than-savory city denizens. Among these are gambler Nathan Detroit (Rob Colletti) who runs an illegal, floating underground craps game. Due to the dogged efforts of NYPD Lt. Brannigan (Todd Scofield) only one venue, the Biltmore Garage, is willing to offer Detroit space for the game, but demands a $1,000 deposit. Further, Detroit is under intense pressure from his fiancée of 14 years, cabaret singer Miss Adelaide (Hayley Podschun) to finally tie the knot. In letters to her mother, Adelaide has related that they are already married with five kids.

In a desperate effort to secure the deposit, Detroit bets high roller Sky Masterson (Jacob Dickey) $1,000 that he can not convince the virtuous, proper Save-a-Soul middle manager Sgt. Sarah Brown (Julie Benko) to accompany him to Havana. To win the bet, Masterson promises Sarah that he can fill her establishment with sinners eager for salvation. 

The relationships between these two guys and their "dolls" provide the narrative thrust of the story, drawn from the short fiction of Damon Runyon.  Their romantic travails are complicated by pressure from above, as Sarah's superiors announce that her store will be closed if its numbers do not improve, and Big Jule(Ahmad Kamal), an intimidating Chicago player, arrives for Detroit's craps game, making it clear to the latter that he does not intend to lose. Dickey as Masterson impressively presents a man starting to acknowledge his long-buried decent nature, while Benko's shows Sarah allowing herself to finally experience the garden of earthly delights and enjoying it more than expected. The two have wonderful chemistry, particularly in the act one-ending number, "My Time of Day/I've Never Been in Love Before." Dickey also performs an admirable version of the show's most famous number, "Luck Be a Lady Tonight." Podschun gives Adelaide dimension, singing sultry torch songs in the club in one scene, and vulnerability and sadness over her fears of being alone and betrayed by Nathan in the next. All of the musical numbers, under the direction of choreographer Joshua Bergasse and dance captain Jack Sippel, are kinetic and engaging. A special mention must be made of Kyle Taylor Parker's Nicely-Nicely Johnson, who, late in Act II, leads the cast in a rousing performance of "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat."

Director Francesca Zambello keeps the show moving at a lively pace, drawing excellent performances from the entire ensemble. At just about two and a half hours with an intermission, "Guys and Dolls" provides a fun, engaging diversion for a cold winter night (or afternoon.) Before opening night, STC announced that the show's run, initially scheduled  to end on January 4, had been extended to January 8, clearly anticipating interest. Unlike some of the wagers made by the characters, that seems a fairly safe bet. And now, I just need to see "Kiss Me, Kate," "Oklahoma," "Hello Dolly," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Evita," "My Fair Lady..."

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