Guys and Dolls (Phoenix Theatre)
It's been almost seventy years since Frank Loesser, Joe Swerling and Abe Burrows' musical about the dodgy guys and hard done-by dolls first opened. And this latest revival – with its West End transfer from Chichester Festival Theatre to the Savoyand now yet another transfer to the Phoenix – proves that we still just can't get enough of it.
Based on characters created by Damon Runyon, the musical follows hoods and gamblers living on the wrong side of Broadway. Nathan Detroit is looking for a home for his illegal crap game, and in the process manages to bet Sky Masterson he can't take a Salvation Army gal to Cuba with him for the night. Sky's a charmer, but whether or not he can woo the hard-headed and God-fearing Sarah Brown is a formidable test on his skills of seduction. Meanwhile Nathan Detroit has his own girl trouble in the form of Miss Adelaide, who has been engaged to him for 14 years and is beginning to get impatient for the big day.
Gordon Greenberg's production blazes into life from the moment it begins. Set to a backdrop of bright flashing lights and '50s American logos – ads for Lucky Strike, Pepsi Cola and Levi Jeans adorn Peter McKintosh's neat designs – it is an exuberant, burst of energy and colour that barely lets up from the moment the curtain rises.
With it's stereotypical portrayal of gender – the dolls just want to settle down, the guys are happy as naughty loners – the story is somewhat dated. But ultimately, Guys and Dolls is all about Loesser's fantastic songs, which include "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", "Luck Be a Lady" and "I've Never Been in Love Before". Though there are a lot squeezed into an already bursting storyline, they are the heart and soul of this musical and an absolute joy to listen to performed live by a tip top cast.
It's mostly new leads for this run at the Phoenix Theatre, apart from Siubhan Harrison as Sarah Brown. They are great additions: Richard Kind as Nathan Detroit gives a more relaxed, hangdog air than David Haig's taut harassed, whiny version. The American actor knows his comedy and he brings out the laughs in unexpected places. His voice is strong and almost sad in the number "Sue Me" which he sings with the superb Samantha Spiro as Miss Adelaide. They make a great double-act. Spiro doesn't go in for the overt physical comedy that Sophie Thompson did, but she taps into the character's pathos and we like her even more because of it.
New Sky Masterson is Oliver Tompsett, and he brings a baby-faced pent-up rage to the role which bursts out every now and again. It's convincing, as is his New York accent and his sly, slick charm and side smiles. He works better with Harrison than Jamie Parker did and his voice is beautiful. There's a beguiling '50s Chet Baker-esque jazziness to "My Time of Day" which sends chills down the spine.
Greenberg has made sure two central moments in the piece are all about the dance and it's during the scene in Cuba and in the sewers for the crap game that Andrew Wright and Carlos Acosta's choreography shines. Acosta worked mainly on the scene in Havana and it shows – it is a rough-and-tumble weave of bodies – all legs, arms and shaking booties. Wright's work on the rest of the piece is a joy to watch, from the way the ensemble tip their hats and cavort around Broadway by day to the cutesy girlie numbers at The Hot Box club by night.
Go and see this for the choreography, go and see this for the songs, but most of all go and see Guys and Dolls because it's a masterwork of a musical, a show that is guaranteed to leave you humming a tune with a smile on your face and yearning for a tilted trilby hat.
Guys and Dolls runs at the Phoenix Theatre until 29 October 2016.
