Great singing makes musical numbers shine
"Guys and Dolls" is a theatergoer's dream come true. You've got your music, your dancing, an engaging storyline, vibrant costumes, majestic sets - in other words, it's a spectacle, one that will have you tapping your toes and humming along long after the final curtain has gone down.
The Arizona Repertory Theatre is putting on "Guys and Dolls," based on the story and characters of Damon Runyon, through Dec. 7. The Theatre spared no effort in presenting this musical with Broadway-quality panache. From a live orchestra playing the music of Frank Loesser, to beautiful backdrops and sets capturing the style and heart of 1930s New York City, to knock-your-socks-off performances by the cast, this musical is made to wow. And, it does!
"Guys and Dolls" tells two love stories simultaneously. Both involve New York hipsters who'd rather gamble and drink their oat-sowing years away than settle down. Or so they think. It takes a couple of special "dolls" to convince these "guys" that love is what they're actually looking for. Nathan Detroit, and his long-time fiancˇ Miss Adelaide seem doomed never to marry. Sky Masterson is a notorious swinger, unlikely to ever settle down. Until the day that Detroit makes a bet he's sure he can't loose. Sky must convince the local Christian mission's most lovely and chaste member Sarah Brown to go away with him to Havana! Antics ensue, and while the plot is mostly simple and sweet, it's a charmer and a winner.
Sarah Spigelman does an unforgettable turn as Detroit's fiancˇ Miss Adelaide. Picture a drag version of Bette Midler. Now picture the noxious-voiced Janice from "Friends." Somewhere in there you've got Miss Adelaide, a burlesque singer/chorus girl whose whining voice isn't lovely, but it sure is over-the-top and funny. Spigelman gives Miss Adalaide heart, and that allows the audience to fall in love with the character despite her questionable fashion choices and grating whine. Miss Adelaide embodies the new woman of the 1920s getting a little too close to spinsterhood in the 1930s.
Miss Adelaide and Detroit's love story contains most of the humor and silliness of "Guys and Dolls." Still, the love story between Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown delivers equally good feelings and great musical numbers. Brown, played by Trisha Hart Ditsworth, is a prudish puritan who slowly comes to embrace her passionate side. Oh yeah, and she can sing; honey, can she sing! The solos by Ditsworth are beautiful. It's hard to imagine so much lovely noise coming out of such a small person, but she can really belt with dead-on accuracy and enough passion to keep you believing in the character.
Some of the singing voices in "Guys and Dolls" pale in comparison to Ditsworth's operatic scale. Still, all the musical numbers are fantastic, upbeat and fun. The dance numbers are intricate and lively. The production is one of constant motion. Never a dull moment. If your eyes aren't busy taking in the scenes of New York nightlife, your ears will be busy taking in the catchy rhythms. Whether you're into love stories or musicals or both, "Guys and Dolls" will likely win you over.
The Arizona Repertory Theatre will be putting on "Guys and Dolls" through Dec. 7. Tickets cost $18 for students, $24 for UA employees, and $26 for general tickets. You can purchase tickets through the UA Fine Arts Box Office, by calling 621-1162, or online at www.uatheatre.org. Evening performances run at 7:30 p.m. Matinees run afternoons at 1:30 p.m.
For more information on "Guys and Dolls" or other upcoming productions go to www.uatheatre.org.