Last weekend, Merely Players opened a beguiling production of “Guys & Dolls.” From the opening illusion of a bustling Times Square to the rousing finale, the company has done it again, continuing its well-earned reputation for creatively reimagining classics as well as presenting provocative new works.
From the top, Director Mona Wood-Patterson sets a crisp pace. In the tight, low-ceilinged performing arena, she and her production team conjure the frisson of New York City – its public spaces, storefronts, a hotel garage, even its sewer.
Technical Director Charles Ford and his team have configured a basic alley set with the audience on either side. In this space, Ford has conjured Times Square with minimal means – light, sound and street names painted on the floor. He bookends the open playing area with two schemes. A shimmering curtain wall doubles as a New York dance club and a sultry Cuban restaurant. Opposite, a sober missionary office transforms into an underground gambling arena with bulky pipes. Light, sound, props and especially costumes enhance the Players’ version of Damon Runyon’s capricious post-World War II New York.
Even though “Guys & Dolls” has become a Broadway chestnut – it opened on Broadway in 1950 – it’s evergreen. Wood-Patterson and her creative team, Music Director Tom Kyser and Choreographers Zachary Chiero and Dallas Padoven, have concocted a lighthearted, ever-changing landscape of solo, duet and ensemble scenes. The singing is crisp and clear. Staging seamlessly shifts and plays to the split audience.
Kyser has coached his singers well: Conor Sheehan (Sky Masterson) and Melissa Mossinghoff (Sarah Brown) pair up beautifully for soulful ballads. Mandy Irons (Adelaide) and Matt Bodo (Nathan Detroit) raise the comedic stakes considerably with intensity and hilarious innuendo. Geoff Johnson’s Nicely-Nicely Johnson sets the stage ablaze with his final number. And while every player deserves attention, one more will be singled out, because Ian Thomas plays four characters: He spitballs each one perfectly.
Runyon’s world overflows with irrepressible characters, and the company capitalizes on every nuance – the subtlest gesture and obvious clashes between the central couples and/or groups. The choreography enhances a tongue-in-cheek take on cultural differences. One minute, the Hot Box dancers are cute and coy in gingham dresses, the next minute sultry and tempting in a faux striptease. Gender conflicts and stereotypes lie at the hilarious heart of “Guys & Dolls.”
The show is dedicated to the late JoAnn Nevils, costume designer and wardrobe mistress for 30 years. Thanks to Jennie Albert, JoAnn’s red polka-dot dress can be seen in one crowd scene. For this reviewer, it’s a symbol of Nevils’ dedication, humor and immense creativity.
Although the show runs three weekends and has been sold out for weeks, a waitlist exists. Do whatever you have to do to see “Guys & Dolls.”
Watching the comic chemistry between Mandy Irons (Adelaide) and Matt Bodo (Nathan Detroit), a fond memory of seeing Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins pair off in a London production of Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” It was an unusual middle-age interpretation of a sparring couple played with humor and high intelligence.
Merely Players might consider a run at fresh casting with Irons and Bodo when it’s time to schedule another Shakespearean play. Think about it.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
