GUYS AND DULLS

If you happen to be of the very few that have never actually seen either the play or the movie version, you may think it’s just great. In the case of Guys & Dolls, just about every theatre group, professional or amateur, performs this classic.

Guys & Dolls, for those who wish to know the origin, is based upon stories by author Damon Runyon and with that, the show opens to see the author typing away with his back to the audience. The orchestra, rather than being in a pit, is seated three tiers high at the back of the stage. A curtain drops and is then used for video effects for the rest of the show. Scenery changes…literally. Street to street movement, that’s both positive and negative (at times deterring). It did add to the later crap game watching the descent into the sewer and visibility of the pipes.

Just about every musical opens with an orchestra playing the overture while you sit and stare at a curtain. Here we have the characters choreographed miming across the stage while you listen to bits of the numbers. Good opening, so far. This goes into “Fugue For Tinhorn” with Nicely, Nicely Johnson (Tituss Burgess) and Benny Southstreet (Steve Rosen)…”I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere…” That song. I will get to Burgess later.

We will then get to meet the rest of the poorly casted cast, beginning with Kate Jennings Grant portraying Sarah Brown who runs the Mission Band. She will later meet Sky Masterson, played by Craig Bierko. At first the characters are at odds with each other, but when they sing, “I’ll Know” and later, “I’ve Never Been in Love Before”, the chemistry makes it appear that they still aren’t.

Oliver Platt stars as Nathan Detroit. I wouldn’t say that he’s weak, but if I had a feather boa I could have knocked him over with it. The worst was Lauren Graham’s portrayal of Detroit’s extremely long time fiancée, Adelaide. For some odd reason, the director (Des McAnuff) decided to steer clear of her having a nasal voice with a Brooklyn accent. Not only were the “goil” and “woids” omitted, but also when she sang her famous Adelaide’s Lament, she did not sound as if she had a cold. It loses both the comedy and the point of the song.

The sets (Robert Brill) were excellent and kudos to the choreography (Sergio Trujillo). Best scene on choreography was “The Crapshooter Dance”. Best all round was “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”. This is where Burgess really got to shine. Adding to this scene was when General Cartwright (Mary Testa) was allowed to let loose in her singing and personality. Lot’s of applause for this one. There was much applause upon the end but I could see that the cast was disappointed in having no standing ovation.

One thing that is great about the Nederlander Theatre is that it is small, but with a large enough stage and side areas for more lighted sets. What appears to have been an orchestra pit is utilized for actors going about the scenes. So when it boils down to it, you can probably enjoy the show from the cheapest seats. Guys & Dolls novices…enjoy!!!

Speaking of Broadway, the producers of Hair, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical have established a pre-performance ticket lottery for box-seat tickets, aptly renamed “BE-IN BOXES.” Those wishing to purchase these tickets are asked to show up at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre 2 1/2 hours before each performance for a drawing that will take place 2 hours before curtain. For every performance a limited number of lucky audience members will receive $25 “be-in box” tickets, promising to make their experience of the show both affordable and unique. Limit one entry per person, and two tickets per entry. Winners must be present at the time of the drawing and show valid ID to purchase tickets. Tickets can be purchased from the box office in cash only. Hair began preview performances on Friday, March 6, with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Rogers & Hammerstein fans take note on some recent CDs. The first complete recording of Allegro, starring Laura Benanti, Norbert Leo Butz, Liz Callaway, Nathan Gunn, Judy Kuhn, Audra McDonald, Marni Nixon and Patrick Wilson, has recently been recorded. The CD includes a libretto in case you want to follow along with the words, as well as the history and synopsis of this Broadway musical.

Nelson Eddy in Oklahoma? It’s the 1952 studio cast with bonus tracks of John Rait’s rendition of some of the songs. How about the 1965 revival cast of Carousel with John Rait and Jerry Orbach? Bonus tracks on this one give you Robert Merill’s voice. The last one is Richard Rogers called Richard Rogers Conducts Rogers. Songs include, March of the Siamese Children and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

I’m going to Seneca Falls this weekend for Women’s Herstory Month, as I have renamed it. Women’s Rights National Park and Women’s Hall of Fame. Check out Whirl With Merle on www.blogtalkradio.com.

March 12, 2009 - Queens Times