Review: GUYS AND DOLLS at Opera Australia

Bright, bold and brilliantly fun, Frank Loesser’s (Music and Lyrics), Jo Swerling (Book) and Abe Burrows’ (Book) Tony Award Winning Guys and Dolls delights audiences for Opera Australia’s annual Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour “event theatre” offering.  Under Shaun Rennie’s direction, working off Jo Davies’ original concept, the harbourfront stage comes to life with colour and energy and the obligatory fireworks display.

Guys and Dolls, the musical inspired by Damon Runyon’s short stories which included “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure” premiered on Broadway in November 1950.  Loesser, Swerling and Burrows took Runyon’s stories of Prohibition era New York with its gambling, burlesque clubs and righteous missionaries seeking to convert the “sinners” to create a layered tale of two love stories.  One centres on gambling ‘host’ Nathan Detroit (Bobby Fox), known for running an illegal floating craps game that attracts seasoned gamblers from New York City and further afar, and his long standing fiancé of 14 years, burlesque and vaudeville performer Miss Adelaide (Angelina Thomson).  When Detroit needs money fast he thinks professional gambler Sky Masterson (Cody Simpson), a man known for betting on anything and everything, is an easy mark when he bets that he can't do the seeming impossible, that Masterson can’t convince Save-A-Soul Mission leader Sergeant Sarah Brown (Annie Aitken) to accompany him on a trip to Havana. 

To ensure the audience spanning the broad seating of the Fleet Steps at Mrs Macquarie’s Point all get a clear understanding of the events onstage, set designer Brian Thomson has ensured that the set built on the large open air stage is larger than life.  The story centres on the Broadway entertainment heart of Manhattan favoured by theatre goers, tourist, and shoppers so the steeply raked stage is turned into a tourist map, complete with grid references, street names and an overlay of the subway lines.   A large ‘One Way’ traffic sign on a scrim mesh forms the high backdrop while also housing Guy Simpson’s 26 piece orchestra who are, for the first time, sitting above the stage rather than their previous home below the stage.  The incoming audience are greeted by the most significant set piece, an extremely oversized yellow Taxicab bearing the numberplate HOSH 25, a piece that holds a multitude of secrets revealed over the course of the 3-hour show (including a 35 minute interval).  The impact of the performance is heightened by Bruno Poet’s lighting design which incorporates traditional lighting along with alternative lighting styles including the ‘floating’ lights bought out to adorn the stage.  Boarders of white lights echo the marquees of The Great White Way while the a large neon sign shifts the setting to Havana with the aid of a giant crane. 

Jennifer Irwin’s colourful costume design anchors the work in 1950’s with full skirts of pretty print fabrics, buckle heels and careful curls for the ladies and an assortment of unique suits and trilby style hats from a time when men looked sharp and dressed well. The diversity of the city is represented by each character, whether lead or ensemble, having an individual style in contrast to the quasi military uniform of Save-A-Soul Missionaries.  Irwin goes all out for the “Hot Box” burlesque numbers to ensure the impact is felt in the large scale production with a more contemporary heavily rhinestoned aesthetic than most traditional theatre productions adopt for A Bushel and  Peck and choreographer Kelley Abbey has incorporated Irwin’s white mink stoles for a greater dramatic affect in an amusing layering of furs. With the work being a ‘classic’ Broadway musical, the choreography plays an integral role in the performance, often serving as interludes between dramatic scenes and  Abbey ensures that the full space of the stage is utilized while also allowing a degree of intimacy between the performers to reflect the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps and she utilises Irwin’s costumes to enhance the drama of the dance throughout. 

While this work is being presented by Opera Australia, Rennie has made the sensible choice to cast strong musical theatre all-rounders like Bobby Fox, Jason Arrow and Joel Granger as Nathan Detroit, Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet respectively. While the cast are strong, these three standout for their vocals, dance, drama and comic capabilities as they express their characters with an intuition and understand the balance between hamming up the comedy while not feeling forced or overplayed, infusing a degree of authenticity beneath the absurdity.  With Fox, Arrow and Granger delivering larger than life exuberant gamblers, Rennie has opted to have Cody Simpson present Sky Masterson as a contrast to the typical punter.  Masterson is portrayed as more reserved and less impetuous than his counterparts so Simpson, known for his solo recordings, swimming and celebrity appearances on television, delivers iconic songs like Luck Be A Lady with a unique, quieter energy than the standard is usually presented.

The choice of opera/musical theatre cross-crossover soprano Annie Aitken is perfect for the conservative, pure, Missionary Sergeant Sarah Brown.  Fresh from her latest turn as Cunegonde in Opera Australia’s 2025 season of Candide, the multitalented performer is a breathtaking blend of pure ringing soprano vocals, dance and acting skills and her expression of the straightlaced Sarah after sampling Bacardi laced beverages is a a particularly brilliant piece of physical comedy.  As Miss Adelaide, Angelina Thomson is a strong fit as a dancer, having previously performed the role of Anita in Opera Australia’s 2021 production of West Side Story.  She conveys Miss Adelaide’s bubbly persona though sometimes tips the character beyond the absurd, but the balance will hopefully settle through the run so the expression will feel more intuitive rather than overplayed. 

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