By Craig Mustoe
My wife and I recently saw Guys and Dolls at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. It blew my socks off. I don’t believe I have ever seen a better production in Utah. Tight, very tight.
The quality of the acting is superb. Director Peter Rothstein has his dancers and actors and set pieces perfect in every scene, every moment of Guys and Dolls. Not a dead spot anywhere. And the clarity. I’m sorry to say that I have gone to vast numbers of plays where I could not understand many of the lines or lyrics. These actors really know how to deliver. This is a class act all the way. Many of the cast and crew are equity (professional) which adds to the depth and breadth of the production.
Before the play, a mini-seminar was presented outside the theater (in the shade) in Seminar Grove. This was a lively and intimate discussion with much audience participation. A highlight for me was when a little girl who was there with her grandma asked, “Isn’t gambling bad?” when she understood that gamblers were the protagonists. Answer: The play isn’t really about that, it’s about conversion. That gave me a focus throughout the play that added to my enjoyment. Whether you know the play or not, this pre-show is time well spent. Another point made by the education specialist is that this is considered the perfect musical, the one against which all others are measured. He pointed out that the songs are integral and advance the story, not just added on. Knowing this also increased my appreciation of Guys and Dolls.
The play is set around Times Square in the 1930s. Nathan Detroit, brilliantly played by Quinn Mattfeld, is trying to find a place to hold his nightly floating crap game. His assistants, Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Redge Palmer), Benny Southstreet (Josh Durfey) and Rusty Charlie (Brandon Burk) are on the job but aren’t having much luck. The coppers, led by Lt. Brannigan (Richie Call) are bringing the heat as they are no longer on the take. A garage is the only place they can find but the owner wants a $1000 deposit up front. The only way Detroit can come up with that kind of cash is by winning a bet. Turns out that the uber-gambler Sky Masterson (Brian Vaughn) has just blown into town. He will bet on anything, and Detroit quickly concocts a scam that will skin Masterson of the thousand clams. This is where Sister Sarah (Alexandra Zorn) comes in.
Sister Sarah heads up the local mission (think Salvation Army.) She is deeply dedicated to saving the souls of the many habitues of the area. But though she marches daily with her red-garbed band, she has no luck bringing the sinners in. As a result she is about to be shut down by General Cartwright (Leslie Brott), a tough old church broad. Detroit bets Masterson $1000 that he can’t get Sister Sarah to have dinner with him—in Cuba. Masterson seeks out the devout Sister Sarah and charms her into going out with him. The clincher is that he gives her an I.O.U. (his “marker”) that he will bring twelve sinners to her next meeting. The duets between Zorn and Vaughn are magnificent. Both of these performers are able to show their classically-trained voices to their best advantage. My wife got a little teary in “I’ll Know.” Maybe I did, too.
The other main plot involves the dashing gambler Nat’an and his ever-patient fiancée, Miss Adelaide, (Melinda Parrett.) They have only been engaged for fourteen years, and Nathan doesn’t want to rush into anything. No end of hilarity ensues as she pushes for a wedding and he resists.
Miss Adelaide leads a troupe of burlesque dancers at the Hot Box, a local club. (Don’t worry, these are the most innocent such dancers you will ever see.) The dolls are all young, shapely, and pretty, but Adelaide is tall, obviously in her thirties (she’s been engaged for some time) and thin. Whereas Adelaide is often portrayed as a curvy blonde bimbo in other productions, here she is a skinny redhead, and it completely works. She is perfect for the character and the time.
The songs are staples of the genre. As I sit here writing this I am whistling “Can Do,” from “Fugue for Tinhorns,” one of the opening numbers. Other favorites are “Luck Be a Lady” sung by Masterson, and “A Bushel and a Peck” as performed by Adelaide and the Hot Box Girls, including period-perfect squeals and high, squeaky voices.
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The sets were simple and effective. With a few deft strokes, scenic designer Jason Lajka transported us magically to a Cuban nightclub or down into the sewers beneath Times Square.
Guys and Dolls is famous for first featuring dance numbers performed solely by males; the number in the sewers stands out. All the dancing here is a delight due to the efforts of choreographer Christine Rowan. Of course dancing per se isn’t all that is included in choreography. Other movement on stage, such as in fight scenes, is coordinated cleanly. Robert Westly gets the kudos here.
Costumes by K.L. Alberts are perfect. From Sister Sarah’s pert little bonnet to the Guys’ colorful suits and hats, to the Hot Box dancers and the Cubans, everything dazzles.
Music (Gregg Coffin), sound (Barry G. Funderburg) and lighting (Kirk Bookman) are flawless, unintrusive, seamless. I didn’t even notice them, which is intended as a huge compliment. Oh, that every production could be this smooth.
Unless you have been involved in producing drama, you may not realize how important all the behind-the-scenes players are. A dramaturg, among other things, helps the cast and crew to understand the milieu within which the play is set. This particular information adds authentic depth to a production; Lezlie C. Cross is to be congratulated for her work here. A stage manager can make or break a show. This production must have been managed deftly by Tanya J. Searle in order for us to have enjoyed it so thoroughly. Voice and text coach Gayle Childs Daly gave us spot-on New Yahk accents and brought out the verbal talents of the actors at all levels.
Bonus fun bit: At the wind-up scene, Nathan Detroit’s set piece fell apart. Without missing a beat, he incorporated a comment into his next line, which brought the house down.
One final note about the cast: they look authentic. The Dolls are just little dolls and the gangsters look like bad guys from ‘30s B-movies. The leading man is handsome, the leading lady looks like everybody’s sweetheart. Every part, from the smallest on up, is cast divinely.
Okay, so how much did we really like Guys and Dolls? Well, we are going again with our son. At $50 a pop it’s cheaper than one discount ticket on Broadway, and the quality is right there. I hope we run into you. We’ll be the people with the big goofy smiles on our faces.
Utah Shakespeare Festival presents Guys and Dolls based on characters by Damon Runyan. Music and lyrics by Fran Loesser. Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.
Randall L. Jones Theatre, 300 W Center Street, Cedar City, UT 84720
Now – September 1, intermittently at 8:00 PM and 2:00 PM
Tickets: to $79.00, depending on the date and time.
Please visit www.bard.org for ticket availability, show dates, and times.
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