The singing—including in “Fugue for Tinhorns” (with Jason Lam, Colton Fyfe, and Argel Monte de Ramos)—is the most consistent success in this production. (Photo by Jennifer Suratos)
The musical Guys and Dolls is immortal, which means that it will survive this production.
Based on stories by Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls is set in New York in the ‘30s in the underworld of gambling. Nathan Detroit, who runs a floating crap game, bets high-roller Sky Masterson that he won’t be able to date the pious Salvation Army sargeant Sarah Brown. Meanwhile, Nathan has been engaged to Adelaide, who is the star performer at the Hot Box Club, for 14 years—and Adelaide is getting antsy.
Every song in this musical is perfection. “Fugue for Tinhorns”, the first number, establishes the overall tone of brilliantly polished brass. The intertwining melodic lines support witty lyrics as three gamblers choose which horses to bet on: “I know it’s Valentine/The morning work looks fine/Besides the jockey’s brother’s a friend of mine.” “Adelaide’s Lament”, in which Adelaide explains the psychosomatic origins of her chronic cold, is one of the great character songs of all time. And Sarah’s “If I Were a Bell”, which she sings when she falls in love with Sky while on a date in Havana, is so purely ecstatic it could be sung by a thrush. [Read more…]
