The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Co of SA. Arts Theatre. 22 Oct 2022 Matinee
For a bit of kicking-up-the-heels song and dance, The Arts Theatre has become the place. Everyone is doing musicals and rather well, considering they are all from the unfunded “theatre of love”.
Guys and Dolls, based on a sweetly corny old Damon Runyan tale with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, is about sleazy New York gamblers and the women they love. Wheeler dealer Nathan Detroit has been engaged to Adelaide for fourteen years and is still trying to get out of tying the knot. King of the wins, Sky Masterson doesn’t want a bar of skirt until Nathan bets him he can’t win a Salvation Army girl. There’s a swathe of great old familiar songs and, because Adelaide is a showgirl, some spirited hoofing by vivacious chorus girls. And, since the whole thing is set in the 50s, there are fabulous frocks in vivid fabrics.
The Met has pulled together a huge orchestra and, under musical director Jacqui Maynard, has achieved lovely sound balance between accompaniment and singers.
Director Rebecca Kemp has designed economical but very effective sets with a good smattering of bling and, in a glory of nostalgia, a simply wonderful old city newsstand - just as we once used to have in the streets of Adelaide. All the ingredients are there along with a very large and well-rehearsed cast.
The show starts a little hesitantly as the characters and plot are established in Runyonland but, by interval, it is rocking the stage and the audience is alive with amusement at the silly stereotypical characters, the hardened crims of New York and Chicago and their obsession with playing craps.
Robin Schmelzkopf, looking amazing in his black and white shoes, carries the character load as the irredeemable Nathan and his interactions with the poor, hapless Adelaide are effectively exasperating. Sadly, this fabulous singer, has only one significant song in the show, the duet Sue Me, but he is gorgeous. And so is Adelaide, played with lovely Broadway expertise by Selena Britz. The pairing of Skye, played by Daniel Fleming and Sarah, by Chloe Dunstan, comes close, but no cigar, albeit lovely Dunstan does a delicious drunk scene and a snazzy Marry the Man Today duet with Britz. The n’er do well trio of Nicely-Nicely, Benny, and Rusty steal the show in a few scenes and, embodied by Ben Todd, Thomas Sheldon, and Joel Amos, come up with terrific harmonies. Amos also shines in the Cuban dance number. Notable amid the large supporting cast is promising young actor Maxwell Wigham as Lt Brannigan. He has a fine presence and we look forward to seeing more of his work. Adam Schultz, Dermot O’Boyle, Andrew Pettigrew, and Brad Martin are marvellously mean mobsters contrasting with Barry Hill as the simpering grandad Salvo, Arvid Abernathy, while Eve McMillan shines forth as the General.
And there we have it - another burst of good natured retro at The Arts.
Samela Harris
When: 21 to 29 Oct
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: metmusicals.com.au
