REVIEWED BY MARTIN HOLTOM

Tonight I had the pleasure of returning to the Theatre Royal Nottingham to see one of my favourite classic musicals Guys & Dolls, delivered with great precision by the talented Nottingham Operatic Cast and Production Team. From the moment the overture commenced, complete with bustling street scene and individual character cameos from the ensemble, I was transported to the mean streets of New York and the colourful characters that occupied the darker underbelly of the City.

The strength of Guys & Dolls is that not only does it have key lead characters with their ever developing relationships, it also gives a large number of other characters, both gangsters and dancers alike, a chance to take centre stage throughout the production. Nottingham Operatic certainly had the cast with strength in depth throughout the roster to achieve this and brought light and shade to every element of the show.

Any production of this show needs to have four leads who quickly establish their characters and win the audience over in the roles of Sarah Brown, Sky Masterson, Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide. Here we were in very safe hands with Abby Wells, Bara Erhayiem, Rob Harrison and Louise Grantham-Lang, all breathing significant life and individuality into their characters without any overplaying, which ensured that they were at all times believable and appeared very at home with their roles.

Bara brought out the brash confidence of the high-rolling gambler and the chronic self-doubt he suffers when no-one is around to see it. Abby delivered one of the most nuanced performances I have seen from her as the initially innocent Sarah Brown who meets every new experience head on even when they initially lead to rejection and disappointment. Louise had the difficult task of ensuring Miss Adelaide was not played as a dippy blonde caricature and managed this to great effect in every scene. She had the brash, hard New Jersey accent nailed but also in more reflective scenes showed the audience her softer side and real life goals. Its been some years since I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Rob and it was great to see that he still has the ability to hold an audience and develop a character through subtle acting and reacting with Bara, Louise and the wider cast of local gamblers and incomers from Chicago.

Moving to the wider cast of gamblers and mission staff, in every case the team managed to give each and every one of the characters an individuality which must have been due to them building a compelling back story during the rehearsal period. Owen Pattern was a suitably nervous Benny Southstreet, Simon Theobald was clearly having a ball as Nicely-Nicely Johnson with constant smile, joy for life and nearly stole the show leading “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat”. Jarrod Makin was on his usual great form as Rusty Charlie and Charlie Evers certainly made Big Jule a force to be reckoned with. Paul McPherson was just right as Arvide with flashes of steel alongside the more grandfatherly support for Sarah Brown and Linda Croston brought a great combination of authority and sympathy to her interpretation of General Cartwright.

The Hot Box girls and male ensemble were a tribute to Justine’s choreography delivering high energy performances throughout the production be they set pieces in the Hot Box or the sewers for Luck be a Lady. The show would not have been the success it was without the many individual cameos from the team so congratulations to Adele, Amanda, Antony, Arthur, Christine, Charlie, Dan, Daniel, David, Emma S, Emma G, Evie, Ian, Jack, Joanne, Jonah, Kate E, Kate T, Kate W, Laurel, Louise F, Louise J, Marcia, Matthew, Nathan, Nick, Ollie, Ray, Richard, Rosie, Ruth, Sarah, Shaun and Thomas.

This production of Guys & Dolls was a great success which is due to the hard work, commitment and talent of its production team. Chris Sims ensured that every character was given life and purpose, Rob Murray had clearly worked his Principals and Ensemble alike as the diction from the cast and balance across the parts was always on point. Justine Lee had developed choreography that allowed her principal dances and full ensemble to excel. The staging, light, sound and costuming all added to the atmosphere of the production with a great balance of sound throughout the night and lighting that was appropriately set for the various scenes be they nightclub, sewer or daytime street scene.

Congratulations all and I look forward to the exciting times next year will bring.