Left - Garry McDonald and Marina Prior. Cover - Shane Jacobson and cast.Easily one of the greatest musicals from Broadway’s golden age, this Australian staging of London’s Donmar Warehouse production of Guys and Dolls is an absolute winner from start to finish. Overflowing with not only a rare exuberance but also an exceptionally high quality of performance, it elevates even the few weaker moments into a captivating experience.
Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ “musical fable of Broadway” paints a stylish and stylised picture of the mooks and molls of an erstwhile Manhattan, indelibly bringing to life the roguish characters and particularly theatrical idiom of Damon Runyon, from whose short stories the narrative is derived. Runyon’s sharp-suited card sharks, wisecracking gangsters and boisterous chorus girls evoke a popcultural vision of the mean streets of New York which plays like the upbeat flipside of Film Noir, its violence altogether absent, its seamy vice played largely for laughs and whose characters’ amorality all comes good in the end. Tremendously appealing and perhaps becoming ever more so through the lens of nostalgia, it is a witty, stylised picture of a Broadway that likely never was, but one we surely all wish we could visit. Thanks to this show, we have the chance.
It is also particularly fine as a musical – unlike so many others that have two, maybe three really memorable numbers surrounded by what feels like a lot of padding, Guys and Dolls is a cavalcade of one toe-tapping hit after another. With not one dud song in the list, the show runs the gamut from energetic production numbers such as “The Oldest Established” to saucy showgirl routines like “Take Back Your Mink”, the hilarious “Adelaide’s Lament”, the charming duet “I’ll know”, beguiling numbers “My Time of Day/I’ve Never Been in Love Before”, and especially the sublime showstopper “Luck Be a Lady”. Each and every one a gem.
It is the versatility of the show, and this production in particular, that is a real strength here. For example, in many productions the scenes in Havana can be comparatively dull and fluffy, but here they are elaborately staged with such energy that they become a standout sequence. Featuring excellent choreography (originally by Rob Ashford) and a great scenic, versatile set, whether it be a big dance number or a quiet solo, the action on stage never fails to captivate.
Of course, one can’t properly discuss this cracking production without addressing what is undeniably its major drawcard for the average punter, its much-touted all star cast. For those troubled by the (often fairly valid) concern that star casting may undermine the show itself, in this case you couldn’t be more wrong, as the story here always comes first. Nevertheless, having been promoted early on as a “dream cast”, this really is exactly that.
Something of a reunion of the three principals (Szubanski, Prior and McCune) of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee from a couple of years back, the cast is filled out by other excellent performers. Garry McDonald is an unconventional choice for Nathan Detroit, perhaps a little older than one might expect, but he makes the role very much his own and does an excellent job. Charmingly rumpled, McDonald makes his flustered Detroit an endearingly put-upon figure who you really come to care about.
Shane Jacobson, for those who know him only as Kenny the portaloo man, is a real surprise, perfectly cast as Nicely Nicely Johnson. Jacobson displays a marvelously natural stage presence and singing voice, culminating in a rendition of “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” that brought down the house. Jacobson is paired with Wayne Scott Kermond as Nicely’s offsider Benny Southstreet, and while Kermond may not receive star billing, he is an indispensable half of their double-act, and one of the show’s best performers.
By comparison, Magda Szubanski’s stunt casting in the fairly incidental male role of gangster Big Jule seems something of a waste of her considerable talents (not to mention a deliberately odd choice for the character), but it is a typically well-executed caricature for which she gets good laughs nevertheless.
Ian Stenlake works wonders with Sky Masterson, a role that is extremely easy to make boring. Contrary to any expectations one might have from his somewhat bland “nice guy” persona on TV, Stenlake takes to this part with relish, bringing the character alive with complementary doses of suave charisma, edginess and even a surprising vulnerability. Indeed, he and McCune have managed to transform the romantic scenes that are the low point of many a production of this musical into something absolutely enchanting, displaying ample quantities of the very chemistry that is the subject of one of their duets.
However, as has been said of the Melbourne run of this production, even amongst this wonderful cast it is the two leading ladies who really steal the show. Marina Prior has already received a lot of attention for being cast somewhat against type as the sassy comedic heroine Miss Adelaide, especially as the leader of some surprisingly raunchy burlesque-esque routines, and indeed, she is rather stunning in that regard. This is thoroughly balanced, however, with her tremendously memorable characterisation, a rich performance capable of filling the theatre even when doing a plaintive solo on an empty stage.
It is a tall order to match the standard of Prior’s performance, but if anyone does so it would undoubtedly be Lisa McCune in the polar opposite role of Sarah Brown. While her prodigious talent allows her to sing and dance with the best of them, it is McCune’s superb acting which, like Stenlake’s Sky, brings out rarely seen layers to the potentially dull or alienating persona of this buttoned-down Salvation Army sergeant who finds love in an unlikely place. With McCune in the part, Sarah is fully realised, blossoming into compelling character that goes through the widest arc of development. Alternately prudish, awkward, sexy, and excitable, McCune’s nuanced performance is stunning, and it is hard to imagine a more perfect portrayal of this character.
With first-rate production values, an electrifying ensemble and some star turns that will stay with you for a long time to come, this is a virtually flawless production of one of the most entertaining musicals ever to come out of Broadway. Guys and Dolls cannot be recommended highly enough.
Howard Panter for the Ambassador Theatre Group, Marriner Theatres and Tulchin/Bartner Productions presents
The Donmar Warehouse Production of
GUYS AND DOLLS
Music & Lyrics Frank Loesser
Book Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Directed by Michael Grandage
Australian Direction by Jamie Lloyd
Venue: The Capitol Theatre
Dates: From March 12
Times: Tuesday to Saturday evenings 7.30pm
Matinees: Wednesday matinee 1pm, Saturday matinee 2pm & Sunday 3pm
Tickets: $69.90 to $109.90 | on Sale from September 22
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 729 038
www.guysanddollsthemusical.com.au
