When I received the offer to play the role of Nathan Detroit in Merely Players’ production of “Guys and Dolls,” I was excited about the opportunity. It’s always a thrill and honor to get cast by Durango’s longest running repertory theater. The company’s commitment to excellence and stellar reputation attracts outstanding local and national talent and our loyal audiences flock. Everyone knows what we do, but the most common question posed is “how?”
Musicals are a blast to perform, but it takes a triple dose of effort to get everything to come together seamlessly. Much of the actors’ work happens outside the rehearsal room. We get our scripts, highlight our scenes, and begin to learn our lines and songs. We delve into intentions, relationships and actions. That’s the outside work. Now it’s time to play. In rehearsals, we spend hours working the songs, choreography and acting and then put it all together so we can do it all at once. Daunting to say the least, and this cast is undaunted.
Nathan Detroit is possibly one of musical theater’s most well-known roles. Call it synchronicity or perhaps just heightened awareness after accepting the role, but his character pops up as the familiar trope anytime a guy claims they used to act. “I played Nathan Detroit in high school.” Detroit has been played by Frank Sinatra and Nathan Lane. Even Sir Laurence Olivier was slated to take on the part in a 1971 revival but had to cancel because of health issues.
To build the icon, I consider myself a “method actor,” meaning I use whatever method gets me to a place of truth. Nathan doesn’t require extensive research to entertain. Damon Runyan’s realistic writing about New Yorkers in the 1940s provides the foundation. Staying true to the script and developing the New York accent and Runyonesque speech patterns and slang are key. New Yorkers talk fast and argue faster. I stole from Bugs Bunny’s mischievous nature, who thrives on the game and isn’t afraid to play with dangerous hoods while bobbing and weaving around a fiancee of 14 years. The goal is to play a real man with real conflict.
All this intellectualizing behind my process is secondary to what really tells the story. The true method to my madness relies on the cast and crew. Nathan Detroit is nothing without the team surrounding him. This show features a dynamo group of actors, dancers and singers who dazzle, under the leadership of a top-notch creative team. The original set runs alley-style down the middle of the audience, putting “Playground” in the Underground. The costumes are a kaleidoscope of brightness and color, and the tech team ensures that every scene shift, light cue and sound requirement is initiated right on time.
Bringing Nathan Detroit and Guys and Dolls to life is no small feat, but, at the end of the day, the real credit goes to everyone involved. I’m simply the quarterback, while everyone else dances into the end zone. They are the stars of the show, and there is no story, no icon, no Nathan Detroit without them.
Matt Bodo is a local writer and actor and appears as Nathan Detroit in Merely Players’ 2025 production of “Guys and Dolls,” which runs from April 25 to May 11. Tickets are available at www.merelyplayers.org.
