THE DOLLS: (L-R) Kate Jennings Grant and Lauren Graham in “Guys and Dolls.” (Carol Rosegg)
The musical is subtitled "A Musical Fable of Broadway." However, as director Des McAnuff has re-imagined this 1950 work, (coupled with some major casting problems), this tale about a never-really-existed bygone era sadly remains earthbound.
It is set during the time of Damon Runyon who wrote about the colorful crooks, gamblers, working girls, and panhandlers who inhabited New York City (and especially Broadway) in the 1940s. "Guys and Dolls" centers on Nathan Detroit (Oliver Platt) and Sky Masterson (Craig Bierko).
Nathan, who runs the "oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York," and who needs some quick cash, bets Sky that he can't take any girl of Nathan's choosing on a date. Nathan, who has been engaged to Miss Adelaide (Lauren Graham), a somewhat dim-witted yet loyal girl for the last 14 years, picks as his choice Sergeant Sarah Brown (Kate Jennings Grant) of the Salvation Army. Miss Brown currently works at the Save A Soul Mission.
Although Sky basically blackmails Sarah into going out with him, Sarah finds herself becoming attracted to the gambler and he with her. However, Nathan's shenanigans soon drive the two apart as well as threaten Detroit's own romance with Adelaide, and it literally comes down to a roll of the dice as to whether everything will end happily or not.
Much of "Guys and Dolls" success (indeed that of any stage work) depends on being able to pull the audience almost immediately into the story—especially important when the period depicted never really existed.
Yet, instead of creating sets and costumes to bring the audience into that world, as the 1992 Broadway version of the show did brilliantly, this musical makes extensive use of rear projection for the background. The rear projection makes entire scenes seem somewhat disconcerting, especially when there is not a seamless transition between the actual sets and characters to the backdrop.
Another serious problem is the actor Platt who has little appeal as the perennially engaged Nathan. Platt may be trying for deadpan comic relief, but he seems ill at ease in the role. He uses a non-New York accent with few inflections in his vocal delivery for one to tell if he is trying to be serious, put-upon, or sarcastic.
Much more noticeably, he has trouble making the intricate yet wordy dialogue flow trippingly off his tongue. Platt is not the only person in the company to suffer from this last problem, one which severely blunts the effectiveness of the text.
On the plus side, Bierko works well, if a bit bland at times, as Sky, the high-risk gambler who begins to realize there are some things more important in life than dice and cards. His rendition of "Luck Be a Lady" comes off quite well, as do his various duets with Grant. Grant, in turn, is very enjoyable as the pious Sarah, who learns it doesn't hurt to let one's hair down now and then. She also has strong vocal chops that deliver a worthy rendition of "If I Were a Bell." Indeed the entire score is enjoyable, running the gamut from quiet ballads to the rollicking "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat," to the enjoyable title tune.
Things don't go so well for Graham, as the semi-dumb blonde Adelaide, but this may be more the fault of director McAnuff. Her singing works well, but her one-liners which should be snappy and immediate, fall flat at times, as if just a little off in her delivery, thus weakening her scenes. Her duet with Grant ("Marry the Man Today") is quite enjoyable, where the two realize that in order to "reform" the men they love, they first have to hook them with a wedding ring.
The mixing of the scenic design (by Robert Brill) and video design (by Dustin O'Neill) are uneven. The scenery and projection make for a sometimes awkward transition, such as in the "Luck Be a Lady" number, where the dancing seems cramped in order to accommodate the set and characters. This number cries for a much more open feel about it (despite that it is set in the New York City sewer system) in order to allow the dancers to go full throttle. Costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Howell Binkley, and sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy are okay.
Also in the cast are Tituss Burgess, Steve Rosen, Spencer Moses, Andrea Chamberlain, Jessica Rush, William Ryall, Jim Ortlieb, Jim Walton, Adam LeFevre, Graham Rowat, James Harkness, Nick Adams, Raymond Del Barrio, Joseph Medeiros, Ron Todorowski, John Selya, Lorin Latarro, Brian Shepard, Mary Testa, Glenn Fleshler, Kearran Giovanni, Rhea Patterson, Jennifer Savelli, and Brooke Wendle.
Guys and Dolls
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
Tickets: 212-307-4100, 800-233-4000 or ticketmaster.com
Information: GuysandDollsBroadway.com
Open run
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours, 40 minutes
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
