Review by Bob Greene
GUYS & DOLLS
Music & lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows
Presented by Brooklyn Association for the Performing Arts
and Genesis Repertory
Frank Loesser’s delightful evening of musical entertainment, Guys & Dolls, like any fine vintage, stands the test of time as long as it remains pure. Brooklyn Association of the Performing Arts and Genesis Repertory have joined forces to give us just that; a production respectful to its authors and era.
The plot by now is commonplace. Wheeler-dealer Nathan Detroit needs a place for his floating crap game, he succeeds in conning the unconable Sky Masterson into escorting mission doll Sarah Brown to Cuba while Nathan eludes the law and Miss Adelaide, his fiancée for 14 years. This production opened with a clever film sequence setting the tone for the night (timed perfectly to the overture by Christopher Sirota). We are then lead on a two-hour excursion in seedy nightclubs, Times Square, the Save-A-Soul Mission and the sewers of New York circa 1950.
Director Jay Michaels gives us a brisk, funny, charming production without any of the gimmicks the show has picked up along the way. Michaels’ staging is honest and clever and goes hand-in-hand with the delightful ode-to-vaudeville choreography by Dustin Cross and excellent musical direction by Eric K. Johnston of both singers and band (Jason Colby, Adam Weingarten, and the truly talented Rachel Kaufman). Adding to this is a lighting plot by Romo Hallahan that woos us into the good old days and spot-on period costumes by Mary Elizabeth MiCari. When the sepia hits her perfect pallet of suits and dresses, you truly forget what year it actually is. The intimate theatre sports an extended black-box style stage allowing the actors to come from all sides and even dance within inches from the audience.
The uniqueness of the production is the well-thought performances. As the romantic leads, John Stillwaggon and Carolyn Dellinger, each take a new turn. Dellinger, forgoing the usual naivety that is the default Sarah character, instead creates a sadder but wiser woman hiding her world-weariness behind innocence. Stillwaggon, does the reverse, he provides us with a boyish Sky having too much fun to grow up. He covers this man-child with a bravura that is just fake enough to add a great deal of humor to this role. In their love scenes late in the first act they are superb together. Kelly Petlin and Michael Whelan seemed effortless in their portrayals of the play’s comic romance, Adelaide and Nathan. Petlin, possessing excellent comic timing and a powerful voice, masters one of musical theater’s best characters, while Whelan personifies the era and the element grandly as a borscht-belt Nathan complete with old-fashioned shtick and veiled Yiddish. What’s really amazing is how well they both played “married” for more than a decade.
Another enjoyable couple were Benny Southstreet and Nicely Johnson. TJ D’Angelo as Nathan’s liaison was a symphony of double takes and sight gags while his partner, Jay Paranada, gave Nicely a Bugs Bunny sense of humor right down to manipulated vocal reactions and carrots – yes, carrots. Together they capture your hearts in song and Nicely deftly stops the show with the famed Sit Down You’re Rockin the Boat.
It’s rare to see a group of supporting characters as strong as this group: Romo Hallahan compelling as Harry the Horse, a comedic Timothy Ng as a dancing Angie the Ox, Robert Liebowitz the perfect straight man as Lt. Brannigan, Daniel Rostas turning Brandy Bottle Bates into a droll critic, a powerful Dominic Kidwell lending life to Joey Biltmore (a clever twist personifying what is normally a plot-furthering voiceover), Jeff Van Damme as a serious Society Max and a naïve Calvin in the mission, Robert Aloi, uproarious as the thuggish Big Jule and extra kudos to Shaun S. Orbin turning Liver Lips Louie into a young Bill Erwin.
The dolls deserve equal praise. Cynthia Granville, gender bending, as Sarah’s maiden aunt as opposed to a kindly grandfather. Her acerbic wit and lilting voice added a new dimension to the character and a deeper understanding of the plot. She leads a mission usually no more than background but in this case a play unto themselves with a pious Denise Sosa, mousey Lee Saulter and Audrey Mae deRocker absolutely charming as a near-sighted novitiate. Bringing up the rear is Sherry Giedd eliciting belly laughs as a saucy missionary general.
The Hot Box Dancers (Erin Johnson, Nora Moutrane, Amanda Szymczak, Sarah Winchester) gave us a little MGM, a little vaudeville, and a whole lot of fun from their two specialty numbers. Kudos again to the costume design for taking a unique and inspired path with these characters. Equally fun was the over-the-top Havana dancer (Kristin O’Blessin) in the evening’s only real shtick number.
Genesis Repertory has become famous for finding the essence of a play by moving it to a new location or production scheme – not unlike Nathan’s crap game. Here they managed to return to us the essence of one of musical theater’s best works simply by putting it back where it belongs.
Photo by James Oligney
Bob Greene is a former playwright and retired history professor. Today, he writes for several online services.