Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company Is Showstopping
Francesca Zambello delivers lavish Golden Age spectacle, standout musical numbers, and big Broadway flair.
Putting aside the curious question of why the Shakespeare Theatre Company has taken to staging musical theater — this season it’s Guys and Dolls — the happy news is that director Francesca Zambello doesn’t need to keep her day job (although let’s hope she does).
She may be the artistic director of the Washington National Opera, but she’s clearly got the eye, ear, and vision for a whole different kind of crowd. This is no-holds-barred Golden Age rom-com song-and-dance magic brought fully to life with some serious spectacle. From scenic designer Walt Spangler’s mind-blowing industrial shop space, with all its peeling paint and careworn shop décor, to a live orchestra conducted with complete and utter flair by James Lowe, it’s something to behold.
Of course, it has to be said that, despite Zambello’s view that Guys and Dolls is a “perfect” musical, not everyone will agree, at least when it comes to the frills of the plot. There’s no question that the underworld characters (based on the stories of the iconic American writer Damon Runyon) make for fun viewing. But even as Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ mid-century book does justice to an opposites-attract romance, good-hearted scoundrels, sassy dancehall gals, and the hallelujahs of the Salvation Army, there are some machinations that only an audience with a 20th-century attention span could love.
The truth is, few today are going to be on tenterhooks over the convoluted attempts of local underworld kingpin Nathan Detroit to find a gambling venue in time to avoid the ire of visiting Chicago gangster, Big Jule. The upshot is that there are times when, despite the best efforts of Zambello and the lively cast, the proceedings drag. Of course, much as with opera, this is arguably the price of preserving the past, as written, and there’s a lot to be said for that.
The other caveat is that for anyone following Zambello here from the opera, well… you’ll have to be just as vocally open-minded as she is and embrace the musical theater vibe for what it is: not opera. There is no question some of the voices here are gorgeous by anyone’s account, but it’s also true that others are — shall we say — more genre-specific. This is where it pays to go with the let’s-put-on-a-show flow and enjoy just how fantastic Guys and Dolls is, for what it is.
Topping the list for phenomenal musicality and showmanship has to be the charismatic Kyle Taylor Parker, who delivers Nicely-Nicely Johnson, one of Nathan Detroit’s motley but warm-hearted crew, with precision verve. Parker sings like spun gold, and he has the kind of phrasing you just can’t get enough of. Zambello knows what she’s got, giving him the floor for a “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” that — between Parker’s all-in performance and the chorus of gangsters and goodie-two-shoes — brings the house down.
Channeling the era with her feisty but long-suffering dancehall moll, Miss Adelaide, a sparkling Hayley Podschun has this lady’s number. It is another performer who positively nails every one of her songs with pitch-perfect gusto.
When it comes to the will-they-won’t-they leads — Salvation Army stalwart Sarah Brown and local cad Sky Masterson — while they look the part and sing their hearts out, there isn’t the zing we need to truly cheer them on. As Brown, Julie Benko meets the remit but can’t quite carry the je ne sais quoi of defiant self-possession that would make her drunken revelry both funny and enough to win over Masterson. She also brings a certain self-consciousness to her singing, which feels more in-concert than in-character. And although she has some genuinely sweet notes in her soprano, she doesn’t quite have the full deck of a singer such as Podschun.
For his part, Jacob Dickey may be dashing-personified, but when it comes to suggesting a warm-blooded cad turned fully smitten, it’s more cigarette than cigar. His “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” delivers, but he benefits massively from choreographer Joshua Bergasse’s simply stupendous dance number for the ensemble that precedes it. And that bears repeating: the simply stupendous dance number. See the show for this, if nothing else.
If there’s a metaphorical shrug, it would be at Zambello’s choice to start the action in a present-day Salvation Army store before everyone starts suddenly turning up in late 1940s period dress. The production is so good, it just doesn’t need this nod to “relevance.” There is also the slight miscasting of Garrett Marks as Harry the Horse, who feels like he’s playing for kicks instead of keeps.
Dancing and miming are a prerequisite here, and the ensemble is replete with contenders who might have done more for the role, such as Chivas Marchant-Buckman, who has the swagger to do half his dances with a cigarette in his mouth. Rob Colletti has the energy for the anchor role of Detroit, but too often what should be comedic frustration feels more like genuine anger, and it rather dampens his appeal.
STC’s seasons may be tending more Shakespeare-adjacent these days, but considering the current state of the world, it’s hard to resist a nostalgic romp through a bit of show-stopping song and dance, whatever the reason, whatever the venue.
Guys and Dolls (★★★★★) has been extended through Jan. 8 at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Tickets start at $43. Call 202-547-1122, or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
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