“Guys and Dolls”. Book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser. Directed/Choreographed by Ceit Zweil. Musical Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through June 30.
By Michele Markarian
A question that often comes up in theatrical circles is, “What musicals make your top 10 list?” “Guys and Dolls,” with its catchy score by Frank Loesser and winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1951, typically makes the list. Ceit Zweil’s lively direction and choreography and Jon Savage’s pared-down, jazzy scenic design make this production a fun one to watch.
Nathan (Arthur Gomez) runs a floating crap game, and his associates Benny Southstreet (Mark Linehan) and Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Stephen Markarian) are eager to spread the word about its next location. Nathan is broke and can’t come up with the thousand dollars that the owner of the Biltmore Garage is requiring as a deposit. He bets inveterate gambler Sky Masterson (Jared Troilo) a thousand dollars that he won’t be able to get the upright Sargeant of the Save-A-Soul Mission, Sarah Brown (Lisa Kate Joyce), to fly to Havana with him. Meanwhile, Nathan has been engaged for fourteen years to nightclub performer Adelaide (Sara Coombs) who is desperate to get him to marry her. While the men try and remain detached and free from their “dolls,” they can’t help becoming captivated and cowed by these determined and loving women.
The musical numbers are raucous and toe-tapping, and no one has more fun with the songs than Linehan and Markarian, who are joined by Rusty Charlie (Christian David) to perform the rhythmic “Fugue for Tinhorns.” The duo also does an excellent rendition of the title song, “Guys and Dolls,” and Markarian’s pleasing voice is perfectly suited for “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” Coombs has some very funny lines (“I kind of like when you forget to give me presents. It makes me feel like we’re married”) and delivers her songs with verve and pathos. I kind of dreaded “Adelaide’s Lament,” as it’s usually done in a nasally, pitchy tone for comic relief, but Coombs played it straight and conveyed it in a heartfelt way. Joyce has one of those voices that makes you sit up straight and wonder if you haven’t wandered into a Broadway theater by mistake – it’s a beautiful, pure soprano that’s a wonder to listen to. She and Troilo have excellent chemistry, which comes across well in the soaring “I’ve Never Been in Love Before.” Chip Phillips, as Sarah’s grandfather Arvide, provides a poignant moment with his touching rendition of “More I Cannot Wish You.”
The band, expertly led by Rodriguez, is onstage the entire time, against a rendering of the New York City skyline, while the action takes place in front. Somehow, this stripped-down version of the show made it feel more urgent and more immediate and allowed the larger-than-life personalities of the characters to be the focal point. At times, I felt as if we were part of the melee and not just witnessing it, which, as an audience member, is a pretty exciting place to be. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.greaterbostonstage.org/
