"Guys n Dolls"

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre

This is a musical for romantics everywhere and set in “Noo Yoik” with some brilliant characters, gamblers, gangsters and night club singers. It derives from the Damon Runyan’s stories of Broadway’s underworld, and especially about a Bible-quoting gambler, Nathan Detroit, who ends up dating a Salvation Army girl, Miss Adelaide.

The script is teeming with wittiness and this spills over into the lyrics of the instantly recognisable songs. “A Bushel and A Peck”, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat”, “Sue Me”. “Take Back Your Mink”, “If I Were A Bell”, “I’ve Never Been In Love Before”.

The story is of Nathan Detroit and his 14 year old engagement to Miss Adelaide and Sky Masterson and a bet he made with Nathan to win $1000 to stage a crap game. The bet was to take Sarah Brown to Havana, but Sarah isn't such a pushover!

The Lace Market Theatre's closing production for this season is an absolute cracker of a show.

The sets rely mainly on projections, but they are used so well and with subtlety that they set the scenes without being obtrusive or looking out of place. This, as well as the sound design, is by Matthew Allcock.

I've seen many of this cast in previous plays in the past at various theatres, but when you see them in a musical, you see a completely different side to them, another talent, and that's exciting to the viewer. And with all of the cast, the singing matched their acting ability, and the acting was brilliantly entertaining.

The casting of this show was spot on, nothing or no one I could see not being in the roles that they were given. Therefore I feel it only right to give everyone their due with a mention.

As the sign said on the journey back from Havana, "Fasten your seatbelts", this could be a long one... Paul Johnson (Sky Masterson), Dermot Randall (Nathan Detroit), Chris Sims (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Matthew Thomason (Benny Southstreet), Roger Newman (Arvide Abernathy), Richard Ives (Rusty Charlie), Christopher Collins (Big Jule), Gareth Morris (Harry The Horse), Chris Teasdale (Lt. Brannigan), Tom Walters (Society Max), Kyle Stirland (Good Time Charlie), David Hope (Angie The Ox), Julian Phillips (Louie the Greek), Connah Porter (Dave The Dude), Roger Watson (Bookie Bob and Calvin), all incredibly entertaining and all coping well with the varied American accents.

Fraser Wanless needs a special mention as he played several different characters from Joey Biltmore, a waiter, a drunk, Jose and a cop.

They're the "Guys" and her comes the "Dolls"... Lucy Theobald (Sarah Brown), Eileen Frier-Kelsey (General Matilda Cartwright), Liza Pybus (Agatha), Anne McCarroll (Martha), Rebekah Blasdale-Smith (Ruth), Lucy Colgan (Miss Mimi), Alison Biller (Miss Georgie), Jenny Scott (Miss Lili), Lucy Bailey (Miss Dandi), Everyone was great fun to watch and you could feel the excitement these ladies emitted from that stage.

Jackie Dunn as Miss Adelaide just has to be the star of the show. This role is so far removed from Jackie's own personality that when Miss Adelaide first appeared on stage, I had to look twice. She didn't look like Jackie and she definitely didn't sound like Jackie. This role shows what a wonderful character actor Jackie is, and what a wonderful singing voice she has, even singing in Miss Adelaide's "squeaky" voice and with a New York accent.

But Jackie is just one star among a sky fill of stars in this show.

Directed by Linda Croston, you can tell this was a labour of love for Linda. She got everything just perfect. The pace was good, the comic lines were delivered with timing. You'd expect that from Linda though because she has been behind so many successful musicals for several theatre companies over the years. She knows her stuff where musicals are concerned.

Set Design was courtesy of Max Bromley, and as I said earlier, it was, like everything else to do with this production, spot on.Whether set in the night club, The Hot Box, or in the Havana scenes, from the Mission to the underground "crap" shoot, everything was just right.

Musical Director was Stephen Williams, and while I knew that there would be no lush arrangements for this soundtrack, the simpler, jazzy arrangements by this three piece group worked really well and gave all of the vocalists a backing that didn't overpower the singer, but instead complemented their individual voices. All helped by a sensitive live sound mix from Simon Carter.

Choreographer Lisa Lee did a cracking job with some really athletic and exciting dance moves.

With so many bodies on stage, Stage manager, Bex Mason may just have had her hands full, but that didn't show as everything ran as smooth as clockwork.

As you'd expect, being set in New York in the 1920's/1930's Gangster era, the costumes for this musical are incredibly classy and stylish, which also makes this musical the classy affair that it is. Jane Herring, Jim Brooks, Trish Hope, Jayne Richardson and Triple C Costumes deserve praise for the costumes.

Don’t leave it to lady luck to get your ticket on the door as that would be too much of a gamble. "Guys n Dolls" is a classic stage musical and Linda and her cast present a thoroughly entertaining show with laughs and great musical numbers and dance routines.

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Theatre Review: Guys and Dolls

Place your bets, please...

As the saying goes: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Or Jupiter, or Earth, or something to that effect. After leaving the Lace Market Theatre on Saturday it came to my mind how fortunate we are to live in a society where gender equality is so widely recognised and fought for, we truly have come a long way to get to get this far. Which is why being transported back in time to watch the classic American 50s musical Guys and Dolls was so thoroughly interesting. Despite the age of the musical, there are plenty of parallels one can draw to today’s culture, making its content just as relevant today. And The Lace Market’s take on this romantic comedy is well worth checking out as plenty of fun was had along the way.

Nathan Detroit runs his illegal Crap Games against fiancée Adelaide’s wishes, partly to secretly raise money for their long overdue wedding, partly because he can’t say no to the offer of a bet. Sky Masterson is infamous for his massive successes in gambling, and when Nathan hears he’s in town takes the opportunity to wager Sky that he can’t take Sarah Brown, a religious missionary, out on a date to Havana. But things quickly get out of hand when love unexpectedly gets in the way. Integrity is called on a dice roll and one must decide for good, which of love and money is most important? Will these seemingly incompatible couples find the balance between change and perseverance in the name of love?

The Lace Market Theatre cast is a big one, consisting of twenty-six performers who warmly fill the room. The space is used well by having the actors enter from behind the audience; however, there is the occasional moment when the space feels a little cluttered while the odd performance is continued off the stage. The occasional cluttered looking ‘crowd scenes’ are, I say with glee, transformed when the cast perform their big numbers together, because as a unit they are absolutely exquisite. A stage carrying that many people fills up very easily, yet the choreography is so slick; everybody stepping and jumping and dancing with and around one another really is a sight to behold. From stage fillers to happy-go-lucky trios - it’s wonderful. The frivolous costumes bring the performers together nicely-nicely.

The choirs creates harmonies that could lift the spirits of anyone, as well as some real stand out performances. Jackie Dunn’s (Adelaide) complex and convincing accent was a joy to listen to both spoken and sung; and Lucy Theobald’s (Sarah) solo songs were truly beautiful, as she too has a unique and powerful voice. The duets between Theobald and Paul Johnson (Sky) were interesting because their voices are so noticeably different but, with the theme of opposites attracting, that made them sound so much more endearing.

With its solid cast and shining performances, this fun and feel-good display of talent really brightened an otherwise soggy Saturday evening.

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Guys and Dolls, Lace Market Theatre, Nottingham - Review

City theatre's production is exhilarating

Guys and Dolls, which premiered in 1955, is recognised as one of the very greatest of hit American musicals. And along the way it’s also sparklingly good laugh-out-loud comedy. In the hands of a huge Lace Market Theatre cast directed by Linda Croston, with Stephen Williams directing the behind-scenes live music, it’s an outstanding end to the 2016/17 season.

Based on Damion Runyan’s short stories of gamblers, gangsters and other low-lifers on pre-war Broadway, it has two parallel love stories. There’s the one involving sleazy betting man Sky Masterson (Paul Johnson) and a leading light of the Salvation Army-like Save a Soul Mission, Sarah Brown (Lucy Theobald).

The other involves Nathan Detroit, an illegal crap game promoter, and dancer Miss Adelaide (Jackie Dunn), who have been engaged for fourteen years. Were it not for the sheer excellence of her fellow-principals and others, it would be easy to say that, with her shrill, brassy and appealing Brooklyn voice, Dunn manages to steal the show.

But there are a host of other extravagantly-monikered and sharp-suited individuals with flashy ties: Nice-Nicely (Chris Sims), Harry the Horse (Gareth Morris), Big Jule (Chris Collins)…

Song and well-choreographed dance – there’s even a spot of acrobatics – are extraordinarily well done, most obviously in famous show-stoppers like Luck Be a Lady (Sky and the Guys) and Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat (Nicely and the Company), but also in a range of varied numbers, including the opening Fugue for Tinhorns (Nicely, Benny and Rusty), which is beautifully executed.

Lyric/music sound balance is just right so the songs are absolutely audible. You can appreciate the wit and cleverness of their construction; and laugh as much as you do at the ordinary dialogue.

Unsurprisingly for such an exhilarating show, this has been big box office thus far. So rush for a ticket.

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