Guys and Dolls - Bridge Theatre

As new musicals start to take over the theatrical scene, it is hard to imagine a great need for almost century old productions like Guys and Dolls to be revived. And true enough, it would be hard to imagine successful runs for these classic musicals, if it were not for their genius modernisations. Recently, it has been done with musicals such as Oklahoma! or even Cabaret, as both these shows were transformed into dark and sinister retellings of their original stories.

Photography: Manuel Harlan

However, Guys and Dolls seems to have taken a separate path, creating the perfect mix of flawless in the traditional standards and ingenious modernisation, owing its splendid reinvention to director Nicholas Hytner and set and costume designer Bunny Christie. Having been nominated for 12 WhatsOnStage Awards this year and taking home the award for Best Musical Revival, it is clear that this production is one for the history books

Welcoming Timmika Ramsay and Owain Arthur in the roles of the high-spirited Miss Adelaide and Nathan Detroit, this new cast amply deserves its place in the history books. Although the choreography by Arlene Philips remains much the same, each cast member brings their own personality to the show, bringing new life to the material and making this production as authentic as it can be. This was again shown by the incomparable Jonathan Andrew Hume, taking over the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson from Cedric Neal, who brought his own spin to the character and made his ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat’ an extraordinary ode to joy.

Photography: Manuel Harlan

It would be impossible to pin-point a single transformative moment in the show’s score, as every song brings something different to the table, however Ioannides’ ‘Luck Be A Lady’ and Ramsay’s ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ are sure to bring smiles to the audience’s faces, as both actors reinvent the well-known classics into something fresh and exciting. Following the masterful orchestration Charlie Rosen, the score of Guys and Dolls has been given a welcome breath of fresh and reinvention that will surely set the tone for any future classic Broadway show revival.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)

(Ticket gifted to Adventures in Theatreland in exchange for an honest review)

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