Review: Guys And Dolls at Engeman

Guys and Dolls, which recently opened at the has long been considered  the quintessential musical comedy because of its larger-than-life characters and dynamic musical numbers.  Based on a story by Damon Runyon and the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, the production showcases music and lyrics by Frank Loesser.

The setting, Manhattan in the 1950s,  evokes nostalgia in itself. As the show opens, the stakes are high as gambler Nathan Detroit desperately searches for a new venue for “the oldest permanent floating crap game in New York.” The Biltmore Hotel Garage is available, but therein lies the rub.  Detroit must pay the owner $1,000 in advance, and he doesn’t have the dough.

Despite the prevailing focus on gambling, Guys and Dolls, the “Musical Fable of Broadway,” is actually a metaphor about the game of chance that is life and love , and it alternates between the romantic travails of two very different couples.  Although genuinely in love with nightclub performer Miss Adelaide, the commitment-shy Nathan Detroit has kept his fiancée at bay for 14 years.  In an effort to extract a cash advance from Sky Masterson, Detroit bets the higher roller that he cannot get the prim and proper Sargent Sarah Brown of the Save-A-Soul Mission to accompany him on a night on the town in Havana.  This chance romantic toss of the dice throws Sky and Sarah together, but do opposites really attract?

Thomas Hammond, who previously starred in Engeman productions of My Fair Lady and Dial M for Murder, flexes his theatrical muscles in this very different role of a manipulator who is intellectually an average Joe.  Andréa Burns, who appeared on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, is perfectly cast as Detroit’s long-suffering fiancée, a role with she infuses with panache and humor.

Jessica Grové, who appeared in A Little Night Music, and Les Misérables on Broadway, boasts a beautiful singing voice. She is perfect cast as Sarah Davis, the beautiful sermonizing reformer whose passion simmers just below the surface.

Josh Davis, the debonair and worldly Sky Masterson, is the ideal romantic counterpart for Jessica Grové, and he  ups the ante for love in “Luck be a Lady Tonight.”

Guys and Dolls is a musical treasure trove.  Wayne W. Pretlow, as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, literally steals the show with “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat.” Everyone on stage gets into the action for this gospel-inspired song, and you’ll be hard-pressed to sit still in your seat. This number alone is worth the price of admission. I also enjoyed the clever sisterly advice shared by Grové and Burns in their duet “Marry the Man Today.”

Andréa Burns animates the stage in her performances in The Hot Box nightclub.  Whether she’s doing her debonair striptease in “Take Back Your Mink,” or singing about the psychosomatic consequences of wondering if she'll ever make it to the altar in “Adelaide’s Lament,” she is a natural.

The scenic design resonates with the genius of Adam Koch, who previously created the set for Engeman’s My Fair Lady.

Koch rises brilliantly to the challenge of creating his own vision for Runyon’s “fairytale of New York” with pivoting screens which juxtapose the diametrically opposed personae of “nighttime” and “daytime” Manhattan.

During the daytime scenes, the screens sport black and white photographic murals of old New York, stark backdrops which highlight actors' colorful pin-striped suits and actresses' jewel-toned dresses.  On their flip side, the panels broadcast in orange and yellow a montage of company names that were the icons of the fifties—Coca Cola, the Astor, the Orpheum—Koch’s fitting visual commentary on “electric, neon, sexy underworld” that was Runyon’s Manhattan at night.  This effect is stunning and  reaches its apex in the scenes that take place at the Hot Box nightclub.

Also noteworthy is Koch’s set design for the Havana scene, in which he aptly captures the “softer, beachy, breezy” ambiance of this romantic hideaway where the characters let their guards down and discover their true selves.

Lighting designer Cory Pattak is to be complimented for his astounding skill which further augments the set design.  The attention to detail paid by Wade Laboissinniere is extraordinary, and you will be particularly charmed by the costumes sported by the Hot Box Girls in “Bushel and A Peck.”

Kudos to Director Peter Flynn who previously directed Engeman’s Man of LaMancha and Dial M for Murder. Choreographer Marcos Santana, who worked on My Fair Lady, has once again outdone himself.  The work of Musical Director/Arranger Kim Douglas Steiner, whose Broadway credits include Nine is impeccable. Stephen DeAngelis has been casting shows at the Engeman Theater since the beginning and once again, his choices are exemplary.

Guys and Dolls runs through June 19.  Tickets can be purchased at the theater's box office, by calling 261-2900 or visiting www.engemantheater.com.