“Guys and Dolls” Thrills Music Circus Audience
By James Roberts

“Guys and Dolls” has been entertaining audiences for close to sixty years, and its latest production at Sacramento’s Music Circus made it clear why it has lasted so long. For anyone left who doesn’t know the story of Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide, Sky Masterson, and Sergeant Sarah Brown, this is it, briefly: Nathan Detroit runs The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York, which draws high rollers such as Sky Masterson and Big Jule. Miss Adelaide, a performer at The Hot Box club, is Detroit’s fiancée of fourteen years, and she’s still hoping to marry him—she’d better, because she told her mother they were married twelve years ago. Sergeant Sarah Brown runs the local Save a Soul mission, and is a complete failure at redeeming the gamblers, streetwalkers, hustlers, con artist, and other riff-raff that inhabit New York City. In an effort to make enough money to keep his crap game afloat, Detroit bets Sky that Masterson will be unable to entice Sergeant Brown to have dinner with him—in Havana, Cuba. Photo: Matthew Ashford (left) as Sky Masterson and Gary Beach as Nathan Detroit in the 2009 Music Circus production of “Guys and Dolls” at the Wells Fargo Pavilion July 21-26, 2009. Photo by Charr Crail

If you’ve only seen the movie version of “Guys and Dolls” you’re in for a treat. This Nathan Detroit, played by Tony Award winning actor Gary Beach, is a bouncier, more comic Nathan. Beach delivers a performance with just enough shtick to point up the humor without going over the top. It’s a tightrope performance that in someone else’s hands might seem overdone or campy, but Mr. Beach makes it work on all levels.

Heather Lee plays Miss Adelaide, Nathan Detroit’s long-suffering fiancée. She is the perfect foil for Beach’s Detroit, a singing, dancing not-really-dumb blond who loves Nathan even though she knows he’s not trustworthy. Ms. Lee absolutely nailed the part. High roller Sky Masterson is played by Matthew Ashford. Ashford plays Masterson with a self-confidence that stops just short of swagger, and you know that he will win every bet that he makes. He has a strong singing voice, handles the comedy deftly, and we absolutely believe that he falls for Sergeant Sarah. After all, they make beautiful music together.

Montego Glover does a wonderful job as Sergeant Sarah Brown. When she sang “I’ll Know” I knew that we were in for a real treat. Her voice is beautiful, and her dynamics made that song seem like a prayer of longing. She and Ashford sang and played very well together, and were convincing in their rolls. Conrad John Schuck (you may remember him simply as John Schuck) was delightful as Arvide Abernathy. Always a treat to watch, his rendition of “More I Cannot Wish You” was a moving moment. Photo: Montego Glover as Sarah Brown and Matthew Ashford as Sky Masterson in the 2009 Music Circus production of “Guys and Dolls” at the Wells Fargo Pavilion July 21-26, 2009. Photo by Charr Crail

E.E. Bell and Michael Kostroff played Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet, Nathan Detroit’s henchpersons. They did the title song and along with Kevin Loreque sang the “Fugue for Tinhorns” (“I’ve got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere…”). Bell also took the lead on “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”. They were perfect comic sidekicks. Also of note were Will Mann as Harry the Horse, Roger Hoopman as Lt. Brannigan, P.L. Brown as Big Jule, and Helen Geller as both General Matilda B. Cartwright and a pick-pocketing nun, and the assorted guys and dolls that made up the rest of the company.

Technically, the show was a dream. The minimalist set, with necessary pieces either flying in from above or being brought onstage in very efficient scene changes, worked very well, and the round, rotating stage with several levels that elevate or drop as needed defined the various scenes quite neatly.
Theater in the round requires the actors be much more mobile than a proscenium stage, so that the audience doesn’t end up watching someone’s back for too long. The direction and choreography kept the action moving without making it seem frantic, and scenes that might otherwise be too static were impressive in the simplicity and naturalness of their blocking. Rarely was it necessary to rotate the stage during a scene to enhance the audience’s view, and that so subtly that it only added to the moment.

“Guys and Dolls” is described as “a musical fable of Broadway”, and is based on a story and characters created by Damon Runyon. I’ve read many of the Damon Runyon stories that these characters inhabit, and while “Guys and Dolls” retains the flavor and patois of those stories, these are kinder, gentler criminals than Runyon imagined. Also, a whole lot funnier—and they can sing, too! Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser, Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Ably directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, choreographed by Bob Richard, musical direction by Dennis Castellano and Evan A. Bartoletti was the scenic designer.

Playing at the Music Circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion, 1419 H Street in Sacramento, “Guys and Dolls” runs through July 26 and will be followed by “Into the Woods” July 28 – August 2, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” August 4 – 9, “Man of La Mancha” August 11-16, and end with “Cats”, August 18-30. Tickets are available by calling (916) 557-1999 or online at www.CaliforniaMusicalTheatre.com Don't miss the California Music Circus this season!

Photo on Main Page: Gary Beach as Nathan Detroit and Heather Lee as Miss Adelaide in the 2009 Music Circus production of “Guys and Dolls” at the Wells Fargo Pavilion July 21-26, 2009. Photo by Charr Crail

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