Musical ‘Guys’ reveals longevity Local cast’s voices give memorable MCA show

Guys and Dolls” is one of those big American musicals that keeps coming back. It opened on Broadway in 1950 and won five Tony Awards. It went to London a few years later, transformed into a film in 1955 and then began the endurance test of revivals. In the 1970s, it was staged with an all-black cast. In the 1980s, it traveled around the United Kingdom. And in 1992, it was remounted on Broadway and won yet another Tony, this time for Best Revival.

Like “Oklahoma!” “Guys and Dolls” is here to stay. Contributing locally to the immortality of the show, Bangor Community Theatre gave it a weekend run at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, and if there weren’t already a 54-year trail of fame, this homegrown production had enough sparkle to persuade any theatergoer of the deserved longevity and lovability of the work.

And of the musical genius. BCT showcased an embarrassment of riches when it came to vocal talent. When Steve Schley, as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, gave a crystalline croon of the opening lines, “I got the horse right here! His name is Paul Revere,” he sent a silvery message to the audience: Be prepared for power voices.

Music director Lud Hallman and his 18-piece orchestra deserve credit for supporting the gusto of singers such as Heather Astbury as Adelaide, Steve Estey as Nathan Detroit, Mark Ridenour as Sky Masterson, and Lily Christian as Sarah Brown – as well as the supporting cast of Drew Myers, Will Stephenson and John Grover. These are the heavyweights, but dozens of cast members, particularly the men’s chorus, gave this show musical muscle.

Of course, “Guys and Dolls” relies on more than singing the high notes well. This is a character-driven piece, and Doug Meswarb, the stage director, clearly got that message across to his actors. He was bolstered by Judy Brookings’ choreography and the formidable design team of Jeff Richards on sound and David Adkins on lights. While the set by Chez Cherry was elastic enough to create 17 scenes in three hours, it somehow still felt thin, and costumes by Linda F. Grindle and Thelma Astbury were colorful but consistently unflattering to the women in the cast.

Ultimately, do such blips matter? It depends on what you want from your community theater. If one were to judge by the applause, however, then this show was a hit in every way.

It’s worth noting that “Guys and Dolls” is based on Damon Runyon’s short story “The Idylls of Miss Sarah Brown,” which was written in the 1930s and grew out of Runyon’s work as a journalist out west and in New York City. Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows refigured the plot for the stage, but Frank Loesser’s lyrics and music catapulted the show into the annals of history.

Unlike famous Broadway teams (think Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe), Loesser worked alone to come up with the brilliant words and tunes to “A Bushel and a Peck,” “Adelaide’s Lament,” “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat,” and “Luck Be a Lady.” He allowed personality rather than situation to drive the music and hit the jackpot with the gamblers and molls of Runyon’s world.

The first producers envisioned the musical with serious overtones in the manner of “South Pacific,” which opened on Broadway in 1949 (a year before “Guys and Dolls”) and won eight Tonys. But Loesser, who sometimes comes up in the same paragraph as Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, had too much wit for sad rhymes. The producers went through 11 librettists before coming up with the comedy about Nathan Detroit, his floating crap game and the bet that turns the leading guys and dolls into husbands and wives.

If you missed this past weekend’s production, don’t worry. Wait a few years. “Guys and Dolls” never goes away for long.

Alicia Anstead can be reached at 990-8266 or aanstead@bangordailynews.net.