STUPENDOUS. The word is stupendous.
From the moment this fresh, new take on the Frank Loesser classic musical Guys and Dolls bursts on to the stage at Chichester the audience is hooked – line and sinker.
Bubbling with energy, frenetic in pace, stomach-aching in humour, the wonder is not how Chichester have created such a breath-taking production from such well-trod fare, but how this masterpiece ever became the preserve of low budget productions the world over.
It’s not that my heart sank when I noted the musical as part of the season for the newly re-opened theatre after its multi-million pound refurb, but I can’t say I was excited. A few too many am-dram productions under the bridge.
And yet here I was, roaring to jokes as if every line was written anew for this opening night production from director Gordon Greenberg.
I wasn’t alone. It was as if the whole audience had put aside the 64-years since Guys and Dolls was created with a collective amnesia: thundering approval.
Had we all forgotten that the true star of the show is actually down-at-heel fading showgirl Miss Adelaide?
If we had, Sophie Thompson’s portrayal of the warm-hearted, dizzy broad, desperate to get her man to the altar, put us right. Hers is a masterclass in comic timing, a sensational performance that received the longest and loudest response. Thompson’s rendition of Adelaide’s Lament was desperately funny; Take Back Your Mink glorious.
Peter Polycarpou plays Nathan Detroit, the small-time gangster who has managed to evade the altar for 14 years of engagement. Ducking and diving, his duet with Adelaide, Sue Me, quite wonderful.
Clare Foster plays Sarah Brown, the Sally Army sergeant who would prefer her sinners to be more wholesome, Jamie Parker is Sky Masterson, the roaming gambler with the roving eye whose version of Luck Be A Lady stopped the show. Both are superb in their roles: I’ll Know and I’ve Never Been In Love Before their strongest duets.
Comedy duo Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Harry Morrison) and Benny Southstreet (Ian Hughes) keep the tempo flowing.
Carlos Acosta’s choreography is tremendous, the big production numbers – Havana, Luck Be A Lady and Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat – impressive.
Designer Peter McKintosh has created a stunning set, a clever backdrop of billboards and advertisements constantly changing to bring to life New York in the 19050s.
Guys and Dolls at Chichester is proof that classic musicals no matter how often they have been revived can still have the ability to awe.
• Chichester’s production of Guys and Dolls has now transferred to the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End.
More information for the new run and chance to buy tickets here: londontheatres.co.uk.
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