Review: GUYS & DOLLS, Bridge Theatre

Manuel Harlan

Theatre is back Besties! It feels like the UK is TEEMING with fabulous new shows opening in the West end, from Hadestown to Standing at the Sky’s Edge we as an audience are being absolutely spoiled rotten. Last night we had the chance to go and review the new cast of Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre and my goodness did it rock our boats (we probably aren't the first reviewer to use that pun…and we probably won't be the last…)

The show, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling tells the story of a group of gamblers in New york headed by Nathan Detroit a man experiencing a real financial drought. His group are trying to arrange an illegal crap game, but Nathan can't afford the $1000 down payment so he wages, what he thinks to be a sure-fire bet with Sky Masterson that he can’t ‘woo’ and take a woman (of Nathan’s choosing) on a dinner date in Havanna, Cuba. Nathan chooses Sarah Brown, who is a female missionary that has no time for men, especially not for the likes of Masterson. Sky accepts the bet, and the sordid game of cat and mouse begins.

As the story unfolds with a steaming whirlpool of lies and love, the metaphorical walls of saints and sinners alike come crumbing down and what we are left with is one of the most entertaining, innovative and uplifting shows that you will see this year, or any year.

It’s really hard to describe just how special this production is, with certain parts of the orchestrations changed to suit the Hotbox cabaret vibe of the staging and some very well thought out gender swaps with casting, what director Nicholas Hytner has managed to do is present with a completely fresh and reimagined version of this classic whilst still being able to stay totally true to, and respecting the creative integrity of the original story. We were blown away. The mechanical stage is constantly moving as the piece progresses, meaning one moment you are in a barber shop or a cafe, the next moment you are in the sewers.

There are two ways you can choose to view the show. One option is the traditional option of seated tickets, which if you aren't comfortable standing for nearly three hours is a worthy choice. The seating orientation of the Bridge is in a glorious round and boasts a fantastic view for everyone. It's also worth mentioning that this is some of the best staging that we ever seen utilised for an in the round audience.

The other option is a standing/immersive experience where you are quite literally in the middle of action on the hustling bustling streets of New York. The set design by Bunny Christie really added to the spectacle of the experience with bright glowing signs dangling down from the ceiling making you truly feel part of the spectacle. We chose this option, and it was quite simply incredible. The biggest shout of the night must go to the ensemble of team members from the Bridge Theatre acting as police officers who move the audience around and changed the set throughout the piece. The organisation that must have gone into this is ridiculous and they made it seem completely effortless and wrangled the herd of starry-eyed theatre goers stupendously.

To top it all off the cast were all glorious. Owain Arthur was hilarious as Nathan Detroit, demonstrating expert comedic timing and facial expressions that would give a Looney Toon a run for their money. Timmika Ramsay commanded the stage as Miss Adelaide with a voice big enough to shake the foundations of the theatre itself. Celinde Schoenmaker was an effortless Sarah Brown, weaving between classical sounding songbird one second to a drink belty badass the next. Our final nod goes to George Ioannides whose Sky Masterson was purely intoxicating, oozing charm and likeability but with an intense almost hypnotic purpose in his eyes, he added layers to the character that we’ve never seen before.

This show is special, what the creative team at the Bridge Theatre have created is nothing short of groundbreaking and we hope Guys & Dolls is here to stay for a long time.

The easiest five star we’ve given this year.

***** Five Stars

Reviewed by James Edge

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