[NEohioPAL] Review of "Guys and Dolls" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

'Guys and Dolls' brings PlayhouseSquare flair to Great Lakes stage

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 5/10/13

 

 

Broadway musicals and the national tours of Broadway musicals that come through downtown's PlayhouseSquare have become a performing arts paradox.  They single-handedly raise the casual theater audience's entertainment expectations while lowering their standards.  

 

As much as we love the Broadway musical - with its big budget, bold look and brash approach to theater - few rank with the great dramatic classics and, in recent years, too many draw their inspiration from popular culture, such as "Spider Man," "Shrek" and "Legally Blond." 

 

More often than not, we are wowed by the Broadway mystique - that is, a musical's legacy, extravagance and expense - rather than the artistry.

 

Not so with the current PlayhouseSquare Broadway series production of "Guys and Dolls."  It is, in fact, the perfect storm of musical theater: a perfect play, infused with creativity and loaded with talent, staged at the ideal venue.

 

This is a production not to be missed.

 

"Guys and Dolls" is a 1950s Tony Award-winning romantic comedy written by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows with infectious music and clever lyrics by Frank Loesser.  The musical was turned into a 1955 film starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, was revived on Broadway in 1992 and revived, again, in 2006.

 

Set during Prohibition and featuring gangsters, gamblers and the dolls who love them, the show revolves around two particular couples:  ditzy cabaret entertainer Miss Adelaide and her marriage-phobic, ne'er-do-well boyfriend Nathan Detroit; and smooth-talking gambler Sky Masterson and the seemingly unobtainable object of his desire, Salvation Army officer Sarah Brown.

 

Although "Guys and Dolls" is part of the PlayhouseSquare Broadway series, it is no tour.  This is a local production meticulously pieced together by Great Lakes Theater personnel with input - from show selection to casting decisions - by the powers-that-be at PlayhouseSquare.  These two creative forces know a thing or two about putting on a show, and it shows in this wonderful collaboration.  

 

A homegrown production, local actors are peppered throughout the cast, including Baldwin-Wallace trained Arthur Wise, Bailey Carter Moulse and Sam Wolf, as well as Lenne Snively playing Salvation Army General Cartwright, Phillip Michael Carroll as Lieutenant Brannigan, and Great Lakes regular Aled Davies playing Sarah's grandfather.     

 

Most of the cast and creative team - including director/choreographer Dan Knechtges - are comprised of New York talent with Broadway and national tour experience.  This gives PlayhouseSquare subscribers the big bang for the buck they are accustomed to and offers Great Lakes Theater audiences - who are routinely treated to straight dramas and classic comedies -- a taste of musical theater done right. 

 

The show features Harry Bouvy as a thoroughly lovable Nathan Detroit, Leah Horowitz as an immediately accessible Sarah Brown, Kirsten Wyatt as an adorable Miss Adelaide, and Steel Burkhardt, also a Baldwin-Wallace grad, as the suave Sky Masterson.  Bona fide triple-threats all, these four are an absolute pleasure to see and hear, and are surrounded by an equally talented and experienced ensemble.  Every performance pops, particularly the ones delivered by Wayne W. Pretlow as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" and Wyatt in the hilarious "Adelaide's Lament."

 

Adding to the ambiance of this production is its placement in the intimate Hanna Theatre rather than in the cavernous confines of the Palace and State Theatres down the street.  Seeing musical theater up-close and personal is a rarified experience typically afforded Broadway and PlayhouseSquare patrons who can afford seating in the exclusive Orchestra section.  Here, everyone has the best seat in the house.

 

>From that seat can be seen some very effective production choices.  

 

Damon Runyun's short story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown," on which "Guys and Dolls" is based, was written during the Great Depression and intended to offer much-needed comic relief during difficult times.  This was accomplished by placing the characters' humanity and humor at the forefront and giving them a wide birth to express it.  Such is the case with the staging of this production.

 

Each actor delivers delightfully broad comedic performances that keep the storyline airborne and lightweight.  Music director Matthew Webb and conductor Steven Gross play with some of the songs' timing - an extended pause or held note here, a sped-up refrain there - to milk interesting moments imbedded in the score.  Costume designer Jennifer Caprio, scenic designer Beowulf Boritt and lighting designer David Lander have joined forces to create a bold hard-candy palette for this play that makes the stage explode with color.    

 

This production is so theatrically stagey that additional proscenium arches have been created as part of the set design to emphasize this artistic approach and center the audience's attention on the thoroughly entertaining activities happening within them.

 

Everything works in this production.  Everything.  Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a ticket and one for your favorite guy or doll.

 

"Guys and Dolls" continues through June 30 at PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $10 to $67, visit www.playhousesquare.com or call 216-241-6000.
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