If we were any other musical, we’d be stomping our feet and throwing our toys out of the cot right now. You see – it’s a pretty big advantage you have here. Long before your cast have stepped onto the stage, and before your orchestra has played a single note – you’ve already made us feel like we’ve got our money’s worth.
As we kick back on a warm Sydney evening, drink in hand, watching the sun set over the harbour, with the city skyline and Opera House in the background… Let’s just say, anything else you want to give us at this point is just a bonus.
But what a bonus you are Guys & Dolls! With your flashy, All-American world of colourful characters, showgirls and high-rollers, sinners and saints. It’s refreshing to sit down here at Handa Opera – the place where entertainment has historically come in the form of lavish, operatic drama – for a relaxed musical comedy to continue our feel-good vibes. (Yep, no need to worry about any Madama Butterfly-esque downers today – other than a lieutenant with a strong speech impediment, there are no real villains in this story).
It’s the 1920s, and hustler Nathan Detroit runs a craps game, a fixture of New York’s illegal gambling scene. Short on cash, he makes a bet with high-rolling gambler Sky Masterson that he can’t convince Sarah Brown – Sargeant of the local Mission – to have dinner with Sky in Havana. Meanwhile on the home front, Nathan’s fiancée of 14 years, Miss Adelaide, is getting more than a little twitchy for a walk down the aisle.
Ok we admit, there’s probably little in your plot that would resonate on a personal level with a modern Sydney audience, but you know what? It’s the absurdity of your story, and the uniquely ridiculous exploits of your characters (told 70-odd years after first premiering), that allows us to appreciate you in a different way altogether.
Cody Simpson, as leading man Sky Masterson, exudes suave charm and brings the 50s Frank Sinatra vibes, especially during the iconic hit ‘Luck Be a Lady Tonight’ – complete with plenty of dazzling dice-rolling. Bobby Fox is right at home as loveable tough guy Nathan Detroit, dealing an endless deck of one-liners. But it’s Jason Arrow who claims the showstopping moment – bringing the house down three times over with a deliciously over-the-top rendition of ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat’. It’s so far removed from the titular role he played in Hamilton that somebody ought to give that man some kind of musical theatre chameleon award.
Yet, as wonderful as the ‘guys’ are, it’s potentially the ‘dolls’ who steal the show in this production. Annie Aitken, as Sarah Brown from the Save-a-Soul Mission, has such radiant vocals we can almost feel them soaring across the harbour. And Angelina Thomson, as the ever-patient fiancée, Miss Adelaide, is a breath of fresh air with all her sass, showtunes and Hot Box burlesque.
Of course, you need a mega-ensemble to fill the rest of your gigantic stage – and yours deliver, with all the energy and flourish needed to recreate that old world spectacle. Never is this more enjoyed than during your vibrant Havana number, which feels a bit like a surprise mid-show birthday party. The lights, colour, dancing, Latin rhythms… and giant inflatable tube men that we didn’t know were missing from our lives until this moment.
And oh, the fireworks! There’s something extra special about knowing that while everyone around the harbour can see those fireworks – they’re actually there just for us. The rest of your set is simple but bold. A giant yellow taxi in all its versatile glory. A couple of giant dice manoeuvred by a giant crane. And your orchestra, sitting behind a giant ‘One Way’ sign – visible during the overtures, but otherwise cleverly tucked out of sight. Brilliant.
Guys & Dolls, you’ve catapulted us into another world indeed. It’s one where gambling in the city’s sewers feels glamorous, and women think it’s entirely possible to change a man. (You’re an ironic comedy after all). Yes, you make us smile. In fact, you leave us with a little spring in our step, humming your iconic tunes – as only the Golden Age of Broadway can do. Because thankfully, it’s been long enough since women were called ‘dolls’ that we can laugh about it now.
With love,
Guys & Dolls is showing at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour until 20 April. Photos by Neil Bennett.
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