Guys and Dolls

The birth of a new professional company is always cause for celebration, with its promise of paid work and consistent, if not raised, standards of production values. Harvest Rain has launched its first fully professional season with one of the classic American musicals, Guys and Dolls.

Frank Loesser’s musical adaptation of the stories of Damon Runyon, with book by team Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows able to incorporate much of Runyon’s language, premiered on Broadway in 1950 and quickly established itself as a well-loved, affectionate satire on certain aspects of the American psyche. Witty, cheeky and tuneful, it pits a bunch of irrepressibly disgraceful gamblers and gangsters against a group of deliciously naïve street preachers.

This revival is full of energy and colour, with a shrewd design by Josh McIntosh that establishes the contrasting skyline and basement life of central Manhattan. Jason Glenwright’s elegant, economic lighting provides the glitz and the shimmer of Broadway and shifts the action seamlessly between scenes.

Ian Stenlake is self-assured and charming as gambler Sky Masterson, vocally warm and genuine. As Sarah Jones, the sweet girl who converts him, Angela Harding is clever, sharp and occasionally shrill. Wayne Scott Kermond (Nathan Detroit) and Liz Buchanan (Miss Adelaide) are amusing and real.

Daryl Somers is a funny man, and he inhabits the comic elements of Nicely Nicely Johnson, ably abetted by Dale Pengelly as Benny Southstreet. There are well-executed set pieces performed by the chorus, but equally there are clearly under-rehearsed numbers and the accents are insecure.

For all the talent and commitment on stage in this production, something quite profound is missing, and whether Harvest Rain survives and thrives as a professional production company will depend on how they address this in the future. This Guys and Dolls seems dated, not because the script isn’t still funny or the characters still relevant, but because there is no sense of a real grasp of the culture they represent. It is not enough to do the steps and time the gags – the production also needs to respect and understand why the characters do things the way they do. In this way, the production is cartoon-like, lacking the finesse, warmth and depth that Runyon captures in his writings. It is possible that in their efforts to ensure that the budget works out, Harvest Rain opted for a short rehearsal period. Being professional is a tough gig.