Garde wraps Broadway series with 'Guys'
A funny thing happened on the way to the theater: I saw "Guys and Dolls" at the Goodspeed Opera House a few weeks back ... and I saw "Guys and Dolls" at the Garde Arts Center on Friday.
That's a rare one-two punch, but if that's going to happen, there are few better musical comedies for it to be than "Guys and Dolls." So many musicals lose their way when it comes to the dialogue and plotting, but that's not the case with Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling's adaptation of Damon Runyon's stories and characters. They have an old-fashioned fizz, these tales of gambler Sky Masterson falling for his mark, straight-laced do-gooder Sarah, and of showgirl Adelaide suffering the indignity of being engaged for 14 years — with no marriage in sight — to crap-game organizer Nathan Detroit.
Frank Loesser's lyrics, meanwhile, are playful, and they're buoyed by irresistible music.
The Big League Productions' "Guys and Dolls" at the Garde was a finale in two ways: it was the last Garde Broadway show of the season, and it was the end of the tour.
The star of the night was Matthew J. Taylor, who gave a winning, old-school-movie-star performance as Sky. He brought a suave bravado to the character and let the façade slowly melt as he fell for Sarah. And, boy, could Taylor sing. He sounded particularly wonderful on "I've Never Been in Love Before" — all warmth and emotion.
Indeed, it was really in the musical numbers where the production found its footing. (The comedy, on the other hand, sometimes fell flat.) The way that Sky and Sarah broke into dueling dances — and then inspired a melee — in "Havana" was a highlight. Kayleen Seidl, as Sarah, captured the joy of abandon in "If I Were a Bell." Lauren Weinberg toyed expertly with comic angst in "Adelaide's Lament," as her character, sweetly loopy showgirl Adelaide, realized she's developed psychosomatic symptoms because her beloved (played with gusto by Christopher Swan) refuses to marry her.
"Guys and Dolls," which was still running at deadline, naturally dressed up all the characters in choice costumes, with fedoras and sharp suits for the men and, in one memorably colorful outfit, a bright green dress with lilac gloves and a silver clutch for Adelaide. No one ever confused Adelaide with a wallflower.
An additional note for fans of musicals: Before Friday's show began, Garde Executive Director Steve Sigel announced the theater's Broadway series for the 2015-16 season: "The Producers," Nov. 1, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," Jan. 22, "Million Dollar Quartet," April 1, "Saturday Night Fever," May 5, and Hal Holbrook in "Mark Twain Tonight," May 14.
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