‘Guys and Dolls’ @ Stolen Shakespeare Guild
Photos by Jennifer Stewart
—Jan Farrington
When you see a gent
Paying all kinds of rent
For a flat that would flatten the Taj Mahal,
Call it sad, call it funny
But it’s better than even money
That the guy’s only doing it for some doll….
In the classic Guys and Dolls, the great Frank Loesser tunes and lines never stop coming: “A thousand chickens, are goin’ to the dickens!” … “If I were a bell, I’d be ringing” … “Call a lawyer and sue me, sue me / What can you do me, I love you. “ … “And the devil will drag you under / By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat” … “Stick with me baby, I’m the fellow you came in with / Luck be a lady tonight.”
Seems like we all must know someone onstage for Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s production—the cast is that big. This is the parallel-universe New York City of writer Damon Runyon, streets heaving with mugs and mobsters and cops, holy rollers, good scouts, and “goils” galore, all working the angles and scrambling for a piece of the action.
And within minutes, it’s clear we’re in good hands—because SSG’s Sarah Brown (Hailey Hatfield) and Miss Adelaide (Molly Rose) are hilarious and delightful—terrific performers perfect for their roles. Hatfield’s Miss Sarah Brown, the Salvation Army “mission doll,” is fierce in her commitment to saving the souls of gamblers, grifters and good-time gals—and wonderfully funny and passionate as the Sarah who falls hard for one of those sinners, the charming Sky Masterson (Patrick Britton). Miss Adelaide, a nightclub singer at the Hot Box club, loves the sweet-faced hustler Nathan Detroit (Jake Kelly Harris)—but their 14-year engagement is getting on her nerves—and her nose. Rose has a perfect outer-borough accent, and a side-eye way of making the audience her co-conspirators as she tries to snag Nathan.
Both actresses have distinctive singing voices, wonderful comic timing, great physical bits, and can dance up a storm. And there’s some really fine chemistry between the two anchoring couples of the show: Britton is an appealing, smart Sky who’s looking around for better things—just the sort of fellow to fall for tiny, fierce Miss Sarah. And Adelaide and Nathan are a match for the ages: street smart but somehow (adorably) a bit dim, they’ll go through life bamboozling each other, but always with love. Nathan gets away with stuff—and Harris’ boyish, pink-cheeked face shows us how.
Directed by Tatum Love with music direction from Lauren Morgan, this Guys and Dolls offers strong singing, lively choreography by Ashley Tysor—and well-done fight choreography from Britton (Sky), who lays a fellow flat in convincing style. This is a show that needs to feel crowded with life, and it’s fun watching dances, love stories, fights, and fantasies play out within a few feet of our seats. Designer D. Aidan Wright’s multi-level, many-doored set (with portable panels) makes it quick and easy to shift from Manhattan to Cuba to the underground world of the gamblers—and Lauren Morgan and crew, as always, astonish with the variety and detail of the costumes.
It’s hard to pick standout performances—there’s a lot to choose from. Alex Bigus saves his clear-voiced best for “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” (Nicely-Nicely done!); Nancy Lamb is dear as Sarah’s mentor (is it Aunt Arvide this time?) at the mission, who warbles the lilting Irish-y “More I Cannot Wish You”; and the threesome who open the show with Loesser’s wonderful “Fugue for Tinhorns” are excellent: Bigus (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), John Wyatt Tompkins (Benny Southstreet), and Dylan Haney (Rusty Charlie). At the opposite ends of the law, Danny Macchietto bares his teeth as frustrated police Lt. Brannigan, but never catches Callon Belcher’s alarming “Big Jule” from Chicago.
Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950, and won that season’s Tony Award for Best Musical. Duh. Radio comedy writer Abe Burrows took over Jo Swerling’s earlier draft and wrote much of the lively dialogue, but the music and lyrics all belong to Loesser—who did a great job of interpreting Damon Runyon’s quirky lingo, a mix of formal words and city slang of the early 20th century, with hardly any apostrophes allowed. (Always “do not,” never “don’t.”)
It’s been nearly 75 years, but there’s probably a G&D running somewhere in the country any week you care to look. (In fact, naming no names, there’s a semi-staged version starting up soon after SSG’s show closes.) But I’d see this one first, in an intimate setting, with a more-than-solid cast, plenty of buzz and action—and a Sarah & Adelaide who are well worth the time and travel.
WHEN: April 19-May 5, 2024
WHERE: Fort Worth Community Arts Center, 1300 Gendy St., Fort Worth
WEB: stolenshakespeareguild.org
