The MacArthur Theater company graced us with a third production this year, a musical adaptation of Frank Lossers’ Guys and Dolls and while the production itself was satisfactory, there was a few aspects which I felt were lacking.
First, some background information. The plot of ” Guys and Dolls” reads like a 90s teen dramedy. Nathan Detroit needs money for a crap game, so he bets his buddy Sky Masterson $1,000 that he can’t take a local missionary, Sarah Brown on a date to Havana. Sky takes Sarah and ends up falling in love with her, but Sarah finds out about the bet and we are then serenaded with love songs and hurt feelings.
Sky proves his love, blah blah blah.
Subplots include bumbling attempts by Detroit to hide from his 14 year fiancé and the crap game at Joe’s garage.
The production itself was good. The musical numbers were well rehearsed, and both the band and vocalists excelled at using their instruments and forcing air out of their lungs. The songs were catchy and I found myself humming them to myself as I slowly descended into the catchy madness later that night.
I had never heard of “Guys and Dolls” before this production (aside from an episode of Married with Children named after it), but for the most part, I felt it was a nice portrayal of the story.
I didn’t have a lot of complaints with the play. The play started out a bit slow, introducing all the characters and what not. As soon as the character were introduced, the play began to pick up. The production scale felt a bit less grandeur than the last musical production ( A Christmas Carol) using less props and only lighting, but given that the story lacked any super natural elements, this complaint seems moot.
All in all, it was another great production from the MacArthur Theatre Squad.
