Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater rolled the dice last weekend and came up a big winner with its spectacular production of the classic 1940s New York underworld musical, Guys & Dolls. Based on short stories and characters by Damon Runyon, The Rep has set the bar very high for its lead-off show as this production has it all: uniformly excellent cast, spot-on direction by Mark Clements, dazzling choreography by Stephen Mears, smart period costumes by Alexander B. Tacoma and the bright lights-dark city set design by Scott Davis.
There’s good reason that Guys & Dolls has been a timeless crowd-pleaser for the past 67 years; the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Furrows is as clever and entertaining as the music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and as firmly ingrained in the memories of devoted theatergoers. “Luck Be a Lady,” “Bushel and a Peck,” it’s all there, and it’s a complete joy to watch from start to finish.
In the gritty gambler’s lair of midtown New York City, everything has a price, and a bet to go along with it. The stage is literally set when Nathan Detroit (Richard R. Henry) bets Sky Masterson (Nicholas Rodriguez) $1,000 if he can get a prim-and-proper Salvation Army missionary, Sarah Brown (Emma Rose Brooks), to travel with him to Cuba. Then there’s Detroit’s perpetual fiancée, Miss Adelaide (Kelley Faulkner), who’s been waiting 14 years for that trip down the aisle.
The role of Miss Adelaide perfectly fits the multi-talented Faulkner who brings much to the show’s main comedic role, giving Adelaide an added depth and dimension with alternating moments of vulnerability and toughness. Once the repressed soul-saving façade is removed (Sarah “discovers” alcohol), Brooks turns missionary Brown into an absolute comic delight (spoiler alert: it happens in Havana), and we see her character blossom and grow along with the too-handsome and dashing Masterson, served well by Rodriguez. Nathan Detroit is an engaging, charismatic and marriage-averse schemer, thanks to Henry’s fully realized portrayal. All four actors excel vocally and make this production a real show-stopper at times. Guys & Dolls is a sure bet.
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Through Oct. 29 in the Quadracci Powerhouse, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
