**** What’s playing at The North Shore Center for Performing Arts? I’ll tell you what’s playing at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts! Music Theater Works’ season kicks off with what many believe is the “perfect musical” with every song in its score a part of the American musical canon “.Guys and Dolls “whisks audiences from Manhattan to Havana and back again with career gamblers, show girls and a mission that resembles the Salvation Army, called the Save-A-Soul Mission. I have done over 16 productions playing Angie the Ox, Benny Southstreet, Liver Lips Louie, Nicely Nicely Johnson and in five productions, “Good Old Reliable Nathan Detroit”. I love the show, the story and the fun diversion it has become.“Guys and Dolls” is a classic tale that is taken from the characters created by Damon Runyon in his short stories written during prohibition showing the underside of New York. These were adorable characters despite what they did and stood for and Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling took two of the short stories ,”The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure” using the characters from these stories to build a story about “good and Evil”. Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics.For a long period of time, this musical was absent from our area stages. Last year Drury Lane did a wonderful production and evidently, others decided it is time to bring it back. I have been in or seen this play countless times, but my guests tonight had never seen the play or the movie, so this was all new to them.
I wasn’t sure how Sasha Gerriton, the director of this production would use the smaller stage in The North Shore Center For Performing Arts North venue, to do this show. They decided to build a set (Ben Lipinski) that allowed for a second floor where the orchestra ( under the leadership of Kevin Disch) was above the action. I will tell you this worked very effectively with the orchestra never overpowering the actors. This being the smaller of the two stages in the building, and knowing that the opening number and the “sewer scene” takes a lot of space, I was impressed by the choreography (Clayton Cross). The dance numbers with Adelaide (Kristin Brintnall is terrific) were cute but because they had a person taking their props and clothing, there was some distraction. I think it hurt the two adorable numbers of ” A Bushel and a Peck” and “Take Back Your Mink”.
I did miss the newsstand in the opening and final scenes, and had a question or two about Lt. Brannigan being in a police officer’s costume instead of the usual tan trench coat. I thought Iam Reed did an admirable job with this role, but felt he might have been stringer as a detective over a police officer. The only other negative that I found in this production was in the second act, mission scene, when Brannigan entered with the Hot Box dancers. I guess they wanted the voices for the amazing “Sit Down Your Rockin The Boat” that was handled to perfection by Cary Lovett as Nicely Nicely Johnson).
Other than these few items, I was quite impressed with the talent that Music Theatre Works continues to bring to its stages. Speaking as a former Nathan Detroit, Callan Roberts did a great job and kept his character intact from start to finish. Jeffrey Charles is a strong Sky Masterson and Cecillia Iole as marvelous Sarah Brown. The Havana scenes are remarkable with some powerful dancing, again on a postage stamp stage. Congrats to the ensemble and Cross.
This show relies on a large male cast of gamblers. In addition to those mentioned, one cannot forget Benny Southstreet (David Geinosky), Harry the Horse (Adam Raso), Brandon Acosta ( Liver Lips Louie), Ben Harmon ( Angie the Ox), Miguel Long ( Rusty Charlie), Kyle Kite, Joe Giovannetti, Alex Villasenor , Peter Rugor and last but certainly not least, Andrew Freeland as “Big Julie” from East Cicero Illinois. They layed this character just a little different than usual and it worked!
The Hot Box girls were played by Emily Holland, Emma Jean Eastlund and Catherine Rodriguez and the Save-A-Soul Mission ensemble members were played by Dee Kimpel, Isabella Gomez, Bob Sanders as Uncle Abernathy and Caron Buinis as General Cartwright. All of the ensemble members played additional roles in the Havana scenes and the opening number. The show moved quickly and did not seem as if it was two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.
This is a short run, so I suggest you check your schedule against theirs and find a time to get out of your TV room and go see a musical. And if you are unfamiliar with this one, I can tell you that you will have a fun time and love the way it ends.
Presented by Music Theater Works
“Guys and Dolls” will continue thru March 30th with performances as follows:
Wednesdays 2:00pmFridays 7:30pm
Saturdays 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sundays 2:00pm
Show Type: Musical
Box Office: 847-673-6300
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