BWW Reviews: New GUYS AND DOLLS Tour Charms OC

Even at 60 years old, GUYS AND DOLLS---the oh-so-delightful classic musical comedy featuring memorable music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a cleverly cheeky book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows---still remains as one of American theater's greatest and most timeless treasures. It's no wonder that the Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 1950 has since been revived and remounted all across the world a gazillion times over and continues to be a favorite go-to for many regional and academic theaters. It even boasts a popular 1955 cinematic adaptation featuring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.

It's certainly not hard to love this show. Based on Damon Runyon's colorful short stories of various gangsters, gamblers, and an assortment of other underworld ne'er-do-wells in 1920s/1930s New York City, this "musical fable of Broadway" is an entertaining mash-up of madcap storytelling, perfectly-concocted showtunes, and (when done right) dazzling visuals that transport you to an amusingly exaggerated world where, ideally, hard-charging guys become lulled softies around their lovely dolls.

So it's not really that much of a surprise that even this brand new, non-equity national tour---currently onstage at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for a limited week-long run through April 19---is a winning, nicely-nicely done charmer. Of course, it helps a lot that this traveling production comes equipped with Broadway-caliber sets and costumes and, most satisfying of all, a really talented, engaging ensemble cast.

That very cast helps the audience immerse itself in the classic, highly-amusing narrative that tracks the intertwined activities of cheap-skate gambler Nathan Detroit (the funny Christopher Swan) and confident high-stakes gambler Sky Masterson (the dashing Matthew J. Taylor). Desperate to secure Joey Biltmore's garage as the new secret location for his "oldest established permanent floating crap game," the money-deprived Nathan concocts what he thinks is a sure-fire bet with Sky for a $1,000---the exact amount Joey demands for use of his garage.

The bet? That Sky must succeed in romancing a "random" girl into agreeing to dinner with him in, uh, Havana, Cuba. Not one to turn away from a challenge, Sky agrees to seduce Nathan's pick: Sarah Brown (the lovely-voiced Kayleen Seidl), a bible-thumping leader in the local "Save-A-Soul" Mission, a group of well-intentioned do-gooders whose aim is to clean up the depravity of Broadway (ha!) by helping reform sinners into "following the fold."

For her part, Sarah is quite initially impressed by Sky, both with his biblical knowledge and his apparent desire to reform. Sensing that he's intrigued her enough, Sky offers Sarah an interesting bargain: if she agrees to go to Havana with him the following night, Sky will, in return, bring a dozen "sinners" to the mission for reformation. She turns him down at first (even slapping the guy when he surprises her with a kiss), but later reluctantly agrees to the deal the next day after learning from General Cartwright (Jesse Graham) that the mission branch may be forced to close down if they are unable to secure enough sinners to come to a revival meeting.

Meanwhile, across town at the Hot Box nightclub, headliner Adelaide (a perfectly-cast Lauren Weinberg) laments once again at the prospect of remaining single and unwed, despite a 14-years-and-counting engagement to Nathan. Not only is she upset that Nathan seems to be waffling at the idea, she's also livid that Nathan continues to run illegal crap games. Apparently, the stress has turned her into a hypochondriac, too.

As the wicked denizens of New York City salivate with anticipation for Nathan's promised crap game, police lieutenant Brannigan (Michael C. Thatcher) scours the streets, always on the lookout for suspicious activity, particularly from Nathan and his cronies Nicely Nicely Johnson (scene-stealing Todd Berkich), Benny Southstreet (Mike McLean), and Rusty Charlie (Dru Serkes). Nathan better get something together quick, because according to local thug Harry the Horse (Cliff Blake), notorious gangster/gambler Big Jule (John Galas) is in town looking for some action.