’50s Musical...
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“Guys and Dolls” playing Stages at Kirkwood Performing Arts Center
’50s Musical Classic on New York City late night Scene
by Pat Lindsey
“Guys & Dolls,” a classic 1950 musical, is lighting up the stage of the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center with dazzling song and dance numbers and more talent than should be allowed in one theater. That talent includes Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart, who has directed a flawless production of the beloved musical.
Based on the short stories and characters of journalist, Damon Runyon, and the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, “Guys & Dolls” connects two story lines. First, gambler Nathan Detroit (Matthew Schatz) must find a venue for his floating craps game while trying to escape the heat from Lt. Brannigan (Steve Isom) and his fiancee of 14 years, Adelaide (Katerina Papacostas). To finance his search for a gambling venue, Nathan bets high-roller Sky Masterson (Sam Harvey) $1,000 that he cannot persuade pious Sarah Brown (Lindsay Roberts Greene), the director of the Save-A-Soul Mission, to go to Havana with him for one evening. Sky takes the bet, but he doesn’t realize that the stakes are going to be much higher than $1,000. This bet is going to cost him his heart.
As the story unfolds, we see the well-dressed gamblers running in mad-cap fashion in and out of possible places to hold their craps game. From time to time, the audience is whisked off to the Hot Box Club, where Adelaide (Papacostas) and her troupe of dancers perform in flouncy, colorful costumes or barely nothing at all. Meanwhile, Sky and Sarah take a short trip to Havana, where Sarah discovers a delicious milkshake made with Baccardi. While Sarah is naively getting drunk on La Dolce milkshakes, Sky is falling in love with her.
Miss Adelaide (Papacostas), who possesses Fanny Brice-like characteristics, is a shining star in this show. She sings “Adelaide’s Lament,” in which she hilariously details her psychosomatic ailments brought on by her fiance’s neglect and delayed nuptials. In her big number, “Take Back Your Mink,” she goes on to reveal how disappointed she is with the love of her life. Adelaide earns respect and sympathy from the audience, as everyone desperately hopes she’ll finally convince the lovable, animated Nathan Detroit (Schatz) to marry her. They obviously love each other and, besides that, Adelaide has already written to her mother that they have five children and one on the way.
Nathan Detroit (Schatz) finally finds a place in the sewers of New York to hold his craps game on the night he has promised to elope with Adelaide (Papacostas). The game is never-ending because Big Jule, played by St. Louisan Zoe Vonder Haar, won’t let the gamblers quit until he has recovered his losses. Adelaide suspects Nathan is gambling and goes into a tirade for being stood up again.
The chemistry between Sky Masterson (Harvey) and Sarah Brown (Greene) is a little more guarded because Sarah is a mission doll and neither one of them has been in love before. Their golden voices are beautifully paired in the songs, “I’ll Know” and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before.” It is those Frank Loesser songs, along with “Luck Be a Lady,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” and many more that have enabled this show to withstand the test of time. Love finally ignites between the sinner-saving Sarah and the cool, calm and collected Sky when Sarah learns that Sky not only remained true to his word by producing more than a dozen sinners for a meeting at the mission, but he also refused to accept the $1,000 for persuading her to go to Havana with him. As with all great musicals, there is a happy ending.
Nicely-Nicely Johnson’s (Tamar Greene) song, “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” rocked the house and invoked joyful audience participation. Music director/conductor Dolores Duran-Cefalu and choreographer Lindsay Jo Lancaster have made this number the most rousing highlight of the show. It also gives Tamar Greene another opportunity to let his star power shine.
“Guys & Dolls” is a safe bet for an evening of pure fun and enjoyment. I’m also gambling on most of the people in the audience already knowing many of these marvelous songs and will have difficulty not singing them during the show. Just beware of the earworm that will follow you home, humming those timeless tunes in your ear until you finally fall asleep!
“Guys & Dolls” will be earning cheers and standing ovations now through Aug. 23. For more information visit stagesstlouis.org.
(Some teens here from the STAGES production of “Guys and Dolls”)
