LOGAN – The beauty of Frank Loesser’s musical Guys and Dolls is that it gives everybody onstage ample opportunities to shine.
And the cast of the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre production did shine brightly on their opening night on July 11.
The nearly 75-year-old musical featured breathtaking vocal performances, stylish dancing, inspired acting, vintage set designs and beautiful costuming. UFOMT founding director Michael Ballam calls Guys and Dolls “perfect” and there was nothing in the production’s opening night at the Ellen Eccles Theatre to provide fodder for an argument to the contrary.
It was simply, gloriously perfect.
The musical borrows characters and situations from the short stories written by Damon Runyon in the 1920s and 1930s, which concerned gangsters, gamblers and other characters associated with the New York City underworld. Runyon’s trademark was the unique comic dialect he employed in his stories which mixed highly formal language, without contractions, and colorful slang.
With the assistance of dialect coach Stefan Espinosa, the UFOMT cast brilliantly recaptured that affected style of speech in both their dialogue and singing.
Under the direction of George Pinney, the show’s plot revolves around Nathan Detroit’s efforts to find a location for “the oldest established floating crap game in New York,” while avoiding matrimony with his long-time girl friend Miss Adelaide. Detroit involves fellow gambler Sky Masterson by betting that Masterson can’t take a strait-laced missionary woman Sarah Brown to pre-Castro Cuba for an overnight fling.
The veteran husband and wife team of Espinosa and Vanessa Ballam are delightful in the roles of Nathan and Adelaide.
In a change of pace for the innocent–looking Espinosa, he plays Nathan as a something of a cad who invents lame excuses to avoid going to the altar. But Espinosa reveals his carefully hidden good side in the touching song “Sue Me” in the second act.
While channeling Judy Holiday’s vocal patterns, Ms. Ballam is completely sensational in the role of the impatient showgirl Miss Adelaide. While she has numerous comedic bits throughout the show, her best musical numbers are “Adelaide’s Lament,” her half of the duet “Sue Me” and “Marry the Man Today,” which is sung with Sarah Brown.
Cree Carrico convincingly fills the role of the sheltered missionary Sarah. She has a lovely, crystal clear soprano voice suitable for opera, but also beautifully renders “If I Were a Bell” and the duet “I’ve Never Been in Love Before.”
A newcomer to the UFOMT, Keith Phares, rounds out the leads of Guys and Dolls as Sky Masterson. The acclaimed baritone captures the excitement of “Luck Be a Lady” and harmonizes wonderfully with Ms. Carrico on “I’ve Never Been in Love Before.”
The talented cast of Guys and Dolls also includes some unexpected but pleasant surprises.
UFOMT veteran Lee Daily returns here as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, a small but crucial role. We’ve all known that Daily was an accomplished actor who could sing, but who knew that he could dance as well? Daily’s best numbers are the title tune (“Guys and Dolls”) and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” which became a real second act show-stopper.
Another jaw-dropper was spotting UFOMT managing director Gary Griffin in a cameo role as the intimidating gambler Big Julie.
It was equally pleasant to see Sebastian and Vivian Espinosa perform briefly alongside their parents.
Other named cast members were Tony Mowatt as Benny Southstreet; Nathan Templeton as Rusty Charlie; Suzan Hanson as Arveena Abernathy (who has a nice solo of “More I Cannot Wish You”); Sarah Nordin as Gen. Cartwright; Ben Jessop as Harry the Horse; Scott Clark as Angie the Ox; and Samuel Rachmuth as Joey Biltmore.
The crap shooters/male ensemble dancers were Pasqualino Beltempo, Bradley Christopher Hall, Jymil Littles, Kareem Ali Mack, Brian Craig Nelson, David Postlewate, G. Michael Rick, Jared Rounds and Samuel Rachmuth.
Adelaide’s fellow showgirls were Allysia Peine, Mackenzie Simmons, Kailey Souder and Annie Wogisch.
The mission ensemble included Aitana Alapa, Ben Ballam, Claire Francis, Samuel Rachmuth, Josie C. Randle and Maryn Tueller.
As always, the Utah Festival Opera orchestra was superbly conducted by Karen Keltner.
Evening performances of Guys and Dolls are slated for 7:30 p.m. on July 16 and 27.
Matinee performances are slated for 1 p.m. on July 18, 25 and Aug. 2.
All performances of Guys and Dolls will be presented in the Ellen Eccles Theatre at 43 South Main Street in downtown Logan.