Guys and Dolls - Review

The main hall at Chew Valley School rang to the tune of the Broadway fable “Guys and Dolls” over four glorious nights from 2^nd to 5^th March. Backed by an eighteen-piece orchestra, the cast sang and danced with impressive professionalism, delivering night after night of packed-house entertainment to the enthusiastic audiences.

The show tells the tale of two contrasting love affairs. Long-suffering Adelaide has been engaged for fourteen years to backstreet gambler Nathan Detroit, whilst high-roller Sky Masterson falls for the Salvation Army “mission-doll” Sarah Brown. The leads played their parts to perfection; Nathan’s increasing desperation as he found himself caught between a gun-toting gangster from Chicago (Alex Lowe as Big Jule), the Irish arm of the Law (Oliver Harper as Lt. Brannigan), an impossible bet with Sky Masterson and the demands of his fiancée was perfectly captured by George Heritage, reaching its climax in the brilliant “Sue Me”. Adelaide herself, played by Becca Matthews and Maria Montague, suffered through her psychosomatic cold with near-perfect comic timing in her solo and duet numbers. Uptight and prim Sarah Brown (Rosanna Davies and Kate Lodite) loosened up brilliantly in a well-executed Cuba sequence, spectacularly smashing a bottle over a rival’s head as she found chemistry with Sky, superbly played by Josh Tyler. Josh’s voice was one of the highlights of the evening, carrying effortlessly over the band and impressing with both the musicality and expression of his singing.

However, “Guys and Dolls” is a true ensemble piece, and the huge cast had true strength in depth. Nathan’s incompetent henchmen Benny Southstreet and Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Alex Newman and Alex Thomas) brought some hilarious slapstick to the stage and played off one another with great warmth and energy. The slinky “Hot Box Girls” supported Adelaide in two well-choreographed dance numbers but were almost upstaged by the Year Ten rugby team, moulded into graceful and elegant hoofers for the gambling climax of the show “Luck be a Lady”. The whole piece was backed by the skilled players in the Hot Box Band, with special mention going to the piano of James Conway which supported several of the solos and duets with consummate musicianship. And the action took place on a revolving set, transferring the action from Broadway to the Save-a-Soul mission to Havana to the sewers with well-drilled and unobtrusive stage management.

It will come as no surprise that the school corridors are still echoing to staff and students humming memorable snatches of songs from the show, such was the impression created by the production. Congratulations to all involved – how long do we have to wait until the next one?!