Lovers of 1950s musicals and tunes like “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” will be thrilled that Guys and Dolls is currently playing at Cottage Theatre. This is a 1951 Tony Award-winning musical for a reason.
The story revolves around two gamblers, Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson, who are both entangled in the world of betting. The plot itself is a classic trope: one guy who bets another he can’t get a date with a particular woman. Sky works to woo a pious missionary, Sarah Brown. In contrast, Nathan works himself deeper into hilarious entanglements with gamblers, missionaries, and his fiercest antagonist—his showgirl fiancée of 14 years, who has put up with his gambling for long enough.
The original book was by Jo Serling and Abe Burrows; the story and characters of the play were based on Damon Runyon’s writing, and the music and lyrics were by Frank Loesser.
When asked why director Janet Rust chose this play, she says, “I’ve always loved the music in this show, and the book is hysterical.”
This isn’t Rust’s first rodeo. Rust started directing at Cottage Theater in 2010 and also directed approximately 35 plays at Cottage Grove High School after moving to the area and becoming the primary theater teacher in 2004. She also lived in New York City for 20 years, where she performed and choreographed.
This is the fourth time Rust has been involved in this show. First, she choreographed it in college, then directed a junior version in a middle school in New York City, and directed it at Cottage Grove High School, where she currently works.
Christopher Holt, who was the music teacher and band director at Springfield High School and later at Thurston Middle School, serves as the music director and conductor for this play.
When asked why he came out of retirement for this, Holt says, “I love conducting a musical because it is absolutely my favorite thing that I get to do with my brain. … When it all works in real time in front of a live audience, it is incredibly energizing. I often can’t fall asleep for hours after finishing a show because I get so hyped up from the experience.”
Holt has conducted two musicals a season for CT for the last few years. “I also love the community aspect of participating in community theater… It always feels like a homecoming when I walk into the building to begin work on a new show,” he said.
As a testament to this play’s popularity, Cottage Theatre sold 201 out of 250 tickets for the opening night, which is an impressive number on a weekday. Multiple audience members commented on how well the actors articulated their lines, both when speaking and singing.
“I love the humor of it. I am enjoying the music, and I can understand what they are saying. You don’t always get that in musicals,” said Peyton Brazell, who grew up in Cottage Grove. She has been attending plays with her grandfather, Frank Brazell, for years. He explained that he has been attending Cottage Theatre for over 25 years. He is one of many season ticket holders in the audience, loyal to the theater because of the quality of the experience he has there.
“The four main characters were cast beautifully,” says audience member Cindy Helmick. Though she is now an attorney, 50 years ago at Stanford, she was a Hotbox Girl (one of the slightly risqué chorus girls in the play. She wanted to sing along with the entire play but managed to restrain herself.
It was a good casting of Seth Bailey as Nathan Detroit and Matthew Michaels as Sky Masterson, the two male leads. They play believable 1950s gamblers/redeemable bad boys. Kenady Conforth, playing Sarah Brown, has a voice that is well-suited for opera.
As always, Tracy Brous is one of my favorites. She is sassy and funny as Miss Adelaide. It wasn’t just the main characters who gave incredible performances, but the rest of the cast as well. Big Jule’s gruff mobster voice is so different from actor Tom Perkin’s authentic voice.
The choreography of dances was entertaining, and the live music added an element that multiple audience members commented on. I even overheard audience members commenting that they liked this version better than the movie!
One of the highlights of the play was seeing Susan Goes, the executive director of Cottage Theatre, on stage as the snarky, drunk woman early in the play. Goes, like most of the actors, played multiple roles.
In the program, Goes commented on the musical, “holding up well to the test of time, even if attitudes about relations between the sexes clearly date this piece.” The title alone clearly reflects the attitude toward women, signaling that it will be a prominent element in this play, although the casting choices also subvert some of the past gender biases. It is a worthwhile discussion point on how times have changed over the past 70 years.
Goes warns the audience not to take the play too seriously. “We all need a bit of levity these days, and this script delivers exactly that,” she said.
Guys and Dolls runs through Oct. 26 at Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive. Evening performances are held on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinee performances begin at 2:30 p.m. More: cottagetheatre.org/
