Coachella Valley Repertory executive artistic director Adam Karsten’s timing couldn’t be better: His choice to produce the award-winning Broadway classic Guys and Dolls at this moment is brilliant.
Based on Damon Runyon’s engaging short stories, the musical (with book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser) whisks the audience away to late 1930s New York, and the world of high-stakes gambling and “dolls”—just the escape we need right now.
Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway on Nov. 24, 1950, ran for 1,200 performances, and won five Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical. The cast included Robert Alda, Isabel Bigley, Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine. As Miss Adelaide, Blaine reprised her role in the 1955 film adaptation, which also starred Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons.
Following the overture and a gorgeous, moody “Runyonland,” we meet a few of the guys—Benny Southstreet (Kyle Vaughn), Rusty Charlie (Alex Bernhardt) and Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Anthony Arpino), who establish their love of gambling with “Fugue for Tinhorns.”
Soon, the folks from the struggling Save-a-Soul mission arrive, hoping to lead the sinners to salvation. Sarah Brown (Allsun O’Malley) and her grandfather, Arvide Abernathy (Paul Crane), try valiantly to get their message across, with little success.
Nathan Detroit (Matthew Schatz), the unofficial leader of the gamblers, is desperately trying to find a location for their floating craps game, while staying one step ahead of the local cop, Lt. Brannigan (Jason Ayestas). Nathan is also trying to hide his nefarious activities from his fiancée, Adelaide (Jane Papageorge), who is pushing him to tie the knot after a 14-year engagement.
Scrambling for a way to come up with the $1,000 fee to secure a new location for the craps game, Nathan bets notoriously lucky gambler Sky Masterson (Carter Michael) that Sky cannot take a woman of Nathan’s choosing to dinner in Havana, Cuba. Sure he cannot lose, Nathan picks the straight-laced Sarah Brown.
Will Nathan win the bet? Do Sky and Sarah find romance? Is matrimony finally in the cards for Adelaide and Nathan? Does the mission survive? For the few folks who have not previously seen this beloved musical, I won’t spill the beans.
CVRep’s production is terrific, starting with the cast. O’Malley is flawless as Sarah Brown. Petite, pious and demure, she can be feisty when needed. Her onstage chemistry with Sky is palpable—but it is her soaring soprano voice that you will remember. Her performance on “I’ll Know” is simply stunning.
As the smooth-talking Sky, Carter Michael is excellent. Tall, dapper, confident and likable, he comes across as someone who could sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. He commands the stage, yet deftly shows us Sky’s vulnerable side. His pipes are quite impressive as well; his “Luck Be a Lady” is one of the show’s many highlights.
Schatz is spot-on as Nathan Detroit. Affable and charismatic, he makes the audience love him, even though he’s a criminal and constantly breaks Adelaide’s heart. He seems to mean well, and we know that underneath it all, his feelings for Adelaide are genuine. Schatz has great comic timing and, like everyone in the cast, strong vocal chops.
In the pivotal role of Miss Adelaide, Papageorge is fabulous. Curvaceous with long ash-blonde curls and a squeaky New York accent, Papageorge is fun to watch onstage. She perfectly captures Adelaide’s love for Nathan, her deep frustration at being strung along, and her belief that a walk down the aisle is right around the corner. She totally nails the character’s signature number, “Adelaide’s Lament.” (It was a nostalgic moment for me; I got to play the role many years ago.)
Arpino is an absolute hoot as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, and nearly steals the show (which is hard to do with this cast) in “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” He is quite reminiscent of Stubby Kaye, who originated the role on Broadway and repeated it in the film.
Two local actors making their CVRep debuts rise to the occasion. Paul Crane exudes grandfatherly wisdom as Arvide Abernathy. His “More I Cannot Wish You” is lovely and poignant. Jason Ayestas is well-cast as the brash Lt. Brannigan, who can never quite exert his authority over this elusive group of gamblers.
Also notable is Cathy Newman, who has some wonderful moments as General Cartwright.
There is not one weak link in the cast; every performer is engaging and a joy to watch, and their dancing is superb—which brings me to Karen Sieber’s choreography, which is outstanding. Sieber’s work in CVRep productions is generally notable, but here, it is exemplary—inventive, sexy, moody and fun.
Kudos to Jimmy Cuomo for yet another extraordinary set. The smooth, seamless transitions from the Hot Box Nightclub, to Havana, to a craps game in a sewer, are amazing. Congrats also to pianist/music director Stephen Hulsey and his top-notch orchestra. Kevin Mark Harris’ costumes and Lynda Shaeps’ hair and makeup design add to the overall excellence of this production, as do the lighting design (Moira Wilke) and sound (Joshua Adams).
Pulling all of this together is Karsten, who does a bang-up job as the director. He brings us a toe-tapping, feel-good musical, while infusing it all with some of the moodiness and grit of 1930s New York.
CVRep has a well-deserved reputation for presenting some of the most professional, entertaining and well-produced theater in the valley; Guys and Dolls is no exception. It’s the wonderful diversion we all need from the world right now.
Guys and Dolls will be performed at 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, March 22, at the CVRep Playhouse, at 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. Tickets are $95, or $105 for opening night, Thursday, Feb. 26; the running time is about 2 1/2 hours, with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets or more information, call 760-296-2966, or visit www.cvrep.org.