On attending the opening night of GUYS & DOLLS
A facelifted throng of diamond-draped luvvies in the foyer, more penguin suits than at the opening night of MIFF, and the sound of air kisses echoing in the air around me. Derryn Hinch! Rhonda Burchmore! The horror, the horror!
I'd thought a night at the theatre would be a good antidote to my duties at the Comedy Festival, but it was all I could do not to laugh as Mike and I fought through the throng and climbed the stairs in the gorgeously garish Princess Theatre to find our seats in the dress circle.
Despite being reared on a musical diet as a child (everything from Pirates of Penzance to Oklahoma) I'd not seen a production of Guys and Dolls before, so was definitely interested in checking it out - and the idea of a musical whose characters were New York gamblers and showgirls and petty crims was equally appealing.
What a shame, then, that it was so truly bloody awful.
The show itself has dated badly, with great slabs of dialogue interspersed by only a handful of forgettable songs. The casting is dire - stuffed with Names designed to draw in the tv-loving public (Lisa McCune! That guy from Kenny!) but who can't actually sing or dance - a bit of an oversight in a Broadway musical, I would have thought. As a consequence the cast were all miked up, which resulted in a thin, flat and tinny sound, which reminded me unpleasantly of Spamalot. The overall impression was that it was a trainwreck waiting to happen, so we fled as soon as we could.
I'm sure the after party would have been wonderful, darling, but I would have had to sit through the second half of the show if I was going to attend it, and quite frankly, I would have rather have chewed my own face off than do that.
Comments
Anon - yeah, i think it's a bit garish, in a beautiful way - all that gold leaf and stained glass ain't exactly subtle decor...
It is a great score (particularly in the second act - although by act one you've heard Fugue for Tinhorns, If I was a Bell, the first half of Adelaide's Lament AND "I'll Know" - so the singing/miking must have been truly spectacularly lousy to drive you out of the theatre) - so where you got "forgetable songs" from, god only knows...
Guys and Dolls is one of my very favourite musicals (from the "oldies but goodies" category, I grant you), and I know musicals.
Wifey and I just returned from today's 2pm matinee performance, which half-expected might be done with only a portion of the effort and enthusiasm of a regular evening performance, but we were delighted to discover that it was delivered with all the gusto and professionalism you'd expect from ... well, ... professionals. We loved it.
Premieres are often still sketchy and trouble-ridden, due to the cast and crew still ironing out a few wrinkles now and then, so Wifey and I had the benefit of seeing the production a few months down the track from the night you saw it, but your description of the performance is in stark contrast to our experiences of the same show this afternoon. If you really didn't enjoy it as much as you're saying you didn't, then I'd suggest that they've well-and-truly fixed up any problems with the show that may have existed since it opened.
As an avid fan of Guys and Dolls, it's particularly disappointing for me that you didn't hang around for the second act, as it contains some superb sequences, songs, and sentiment (not to mention excellent jokes -- and seven topless female dancers, for the filthy heteros amongst us!), so it's possible that if you'd stuck around you might have had a better overall feeling about the show based on how Act II played out. But maybe not, if it was as awful as you say.
Yes, it's a simple story of yesteryear with some old-school views and dialogue, but it helps if you already realise this going in, and enjoy it for what it is.
I hope you do try the film, although it's true what was said above; Marlon Brando ain't exactly a singer. Ian Stenlake was excellent, and we thought Lisa McCune actually sang her part very beautifully. Thankfully, Magda Szubanski was ill and her role was filled by a male understudy (her role being a male one), so I was glad of that because I think watching her on stage playing a man would have broken the fourth wall for me and spoilt the whole thing (I suspect this may be part of what caused you so much disappointment). But Garry McDonald, Shane Jacobson and (childhood crush of mine) Marina Prior were all also exceptional.
(BTW, it gave me funny feelings in my tummy to see Marina's right breast during her striptease dance, but I guess I just had the right seat! And it's an image I'll take with me to the grave.)
All-in-all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable production and I can only hope that they have improved a hundredfold from when you saw them ... because I'd hate to think that you and I both saw a similar version of the show and came away with such conflicting accounts.
I respect your views incredibly, Richard, so I trust that my strong opinions in this matter will not colour your views of me personally. But it really seems to me like we saw two extremely opposing productions.