With a cast as creative and quirky as the Big Apple itself, director Diana Alioto succeeds in bringing the streets of New York to the stages of Elm Grove in Sunset Playhouse’s production of a Broadway musical classic, Guys and Dolls.
Adapted from Damon Runyon’s series of short stories, Guys and Dolls follows the exhilarating escapades of the city’s charismatic saints and sinners. In response to increasing pressure from the NYPD, inveterate gambler Nathan Detroit (Robert Fuchs) begins seeking a new location for his popular floating crap game. Desperate for funding, Detroit confidently bets friend and fellow gambler, Sky Masterson (Joe Nolan), $1,000 that he won’t be able to seduce sweet mission girl Sarah Brown. Catchy show tunes and comedy hijinks ensue.
Nolan, a seasoned Sunset vet, leads the cast with his sharp, smart performance as the fast-talking, high-rolling Sky, a role he played when Sunset first staged Guys and Dolls more than a dozen years ago. Despite the time between productions, Nolan sings the songs and shoots the crap dice like he never left.
The rest of the cast shines in the streets (and sewers) of Runyon’s NYC. Particularly in numbers like “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and “Luck Be a Lady,” the performers exhibit their ability to stage a refreshing, high-energy homage to an old, established American classic.
Guys and Dolls runs through Nov. 16 at the Furlan Auditorium, 800 Elm Grove Road. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
