It is interesting to note that for many decades, popular music was frequently indebted to the movies and stage musicals for much of the repertoire. Shows such as Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, Can Can, and Carousel provided much of the repertoire for popular singers. Today the process has to a large extent been reversed, with the hits and life stories of popular singers, such as Elvis, Carole King, and Judy Collins, proving to be the basis for many stage musical productions.
The result is that only a small number of songs, such as Memories, Send in the Clowns, and Bring It On Home are included in the repertoire of pop singers. Yet for those of us who experienced the golden age of musicals, from the ’30s to the late ’70s, a chance to revisit some of those “old” musicals is a chance to revisit treasured musical memories of days gone by. So it is that this summer’s Arts Club production of Guys and Dolls is a welcome event.
Guys and Dolls is a romanticized confection, based on stories by the wonderful Damon Runyon, set on 42nd Street when it was the locale, not only of singers and hoofers, but of crooks and gangsters. As such, it is a lively light-hearted mix of storylines, involving gamblers, night club performers, and a group similar to the Salvation Army attempting to save those the sinners. Replete with catchy songs, including A Bushel and a Peck, Luck be a Lady, If I Were a Bell, and I’ve Never Been in Love Before, the show provides a veritable cascade of toe-tapping and memorable numbers, woven through a diverting plot that, of course, focuses on love and romance. After all, this is a musical comedy!
The Arts Club summer production certainly does this classic musical justice. Set against a glittering background of twinkling lights, gaudy costumes, and a variety of scenic boats, the show enchantingly offers a wonderful mix of song, comedy, and romance performed by an excellent cast. This includes a heart-winning and hilarious Madelaine Suddaby as a long-engaged night club performer, a sweetly innocent and melodic Chelsea Rose as an earnest street missionary, a forceful Jonathan Wisby as an inveterate gambler who risks losing his heart, and Joah Epstein as Nicely Jackson, a gambler who gambles his soul. A large supporting cast provide admirable background of music and excellently performed choreography.
For older people, like myself, the Arts production of Guys and Dolls at the Stanley Theatre provides a summer-long, delightfully entertaining opportunity to glory once again in a good old musical comedy – and for young people to discover the tuneful and comedic joys of musical theatre.
I would like to add a personal note. Challenged as I am at 89 with mobility issues, I frequently find myself treated with care and concern by strangers I encounter as I go about my daily life. This was no exception at the Stanley Theatre on opening night, when audience members invariably aided me as I tottered along, and, most especially, a young usher who was solicitous, watchful, and helpful throughout the entire evening. It is good to know there are so many kind and caring people everywhere and that it is possible for people who are handicapped to live life to the fullest, including going to the theatre!
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