“Reach for stars in the sky” with GUYS AND DOLLS at UFOMT

LOGAN­ — The Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre presents the classic musical Guys and Dolls with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. This musical fable of Broadway directed by George Pinney with conductor Karen Keltner presents a wonderful show that is no crap shoot. Amazing vocalists accompanied by a live orchestra, great leading performances, and well-blended design work make attending a solid bet.

Damon Runyon’s short stories set in the 1920s and 1930s about gangsters, gamblers, their “dolls”, and other characters set in New York City inspire the plot of Guys and Dolls. Nathan Detroit is looking for a place to host an illegal floating craps game. He bets with Sky Masterson, a gambler known for taking crazy bets, that Sky cannot take Sarah Brown, a conservative missionary type, to Havana with him. Sarah Brown is concerned with the success of the Save-A-Soul mission she leads. As a classic musical romantic comedy, the plot finds Sarah and Sky falling in love while Nathan and fiancée Adalaide reckon with maybe getting married after fourteen years.

Real-life husband and wife, Stefan Espinosa and Vanessa Ballam play long-engaged Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide. Their joint performance is delightful to watch and a highlight of the production. Espinosa and Ballam play well in their comedic dialogue, especially in the scene when Adelaide reveals her mother believes they are already married with children. The relationship built in this early scene is compelling and persuades why Adelaide loves Nathan and vice versa. The richness of their interactions gives weight to Ballam’s performance of “Adelaide’s Lament”. This iconic song expresses Adalaide’s reflection that postponing the marriage date may have caused her cold. Ballam hits the comedic beats offering great vocal styling to Adalaide’s emotions. Ballam’s delivery of the second act reprisal shows tremendous range as Ballam presents with a beautiful tone the same melodic lines now with subdued heartbreak.

Espinosa portrays Nathan Detroit as coolly confident and quick-witted. Espinosa keeps the story’s momentum going by playing Nathan Detroit as always just ahead of the game to get out of a jam. In one scene, Nathan Detroit haggles over the phone to get a place for the craps game and Espinosa is humorously relatable as a man simply doing his job- running an illegal floating craps game- and only having setbacks. Espinosa’s blend with W. Lee Daily as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Tony Mowatt as Benny Southstreet lend credence that Detroit is the bossman, save for his weakness Adalaide.

Cree Carrico as missionary Sarah Brown plays well with high-risk gambler Sky Masterson played by Keith Phares. The budding relationship of Sarah and Sky is built on a romantic comedy trope of a guy must seduce a resistant girl and they fall in love. Carrico and Phares do well to add dimension to their initial meet-cute and then further interactions. The duet “I’ll Know” establishes Sarah and Sky’s romantic aspirations and sets the stage for developing chemistry. Carrico’s lovely soprano and Phares’ impressive baritone voices sing the lyrics, melodies, and harmonies effortlessly promising more to come.

Phares shifts the performance of Sky from a high-risk carefree gambler to sincere love as the façade of the bet falls away. Phares’ vocal performance of “Luck Be A Lady” is tremendous and meaningful because it gives drive to Sky needing to win this final gamble. “Luck Be A Lady” is a showstopper in highlighting Phares’ vocal mastery and the ensemble’s accompanying dance skills. Carrico allows the solo “If I Were a Bell” to establish Sarah Brown’s freer spirit and then eases up for a less conservative portrayal. Once Sarah and Sky connect, Carrico maintains the connection even as misunderstandings arise giving hope to reconciliation.

Carrico and Ballam as “dolls” Sarah and Adelaide manage their aspirations toward love. Something lovely about the script is Sarah and Adelaide find commonalities and share the peculiar and comedic duet “Marry the Man Today”. Embracing the spirit the musical is recognizing the song as the women choosing to gamble on love to resolve the story. There is also resonance in casting aunt Arveena Abernathy (played by Suzan Hanson) rather than traditional uncle Arvide Abernathy. Hanson offers a maternal voice of wisdom in “More I Cannot Wish You” and the scene highlights the value of loving support and guidance as Aunt Arveena encourages Sarah to love.

Choreographers George Pinney and Alyssa Weatherby use dynamic movement to establish various characters and scenes. The opening pantomime bustle introducing the audience to “Runyonland” is an effective opener setting the musical, mood, and environment. Adelaide and the Hot Box girls are given great showgirl choreography balancing feeling authentic with family-friendliness. The dance number “Havana” is choreographed to fit the Latin dance feel in contrast to the New York City dance numbers establishing a change in place. “The Crapshooter’s Dance” showcases telling the highs and lows of the gambler’s crap game through dance. The showstopper “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” sung by W. Lee Daily as Nicely-Nicely is awesome as the staging and choreography support Daily’s masterful storytelling in the vocals. Pinney and Weatherby include a great moment of free dance movement in the chorus of “Sit Down…” where the ensemble feels caught up in the spirit of testimony.

Set designer Robert Little creates a unique space where semi-realistic cityscapes and side streets are painted with a graffiti-textured effect. For the set of a classic Broadway musical fable, the painted backgrounds blending theatrical and modern rather than strictly realistic fit the tone, characters, and story well. The backgrounds avoid looking flat by using forced perspective to give a three-dimensional look which was most impressive in creating the Save-A-Soul Mission set. The Hot Box Club set designed by Brent Innes uses shimmering streamers and neon-lit signs to present a different interior space working with the showgirl club aesthetic and dance numbers. Other design choices are solid bets to support the musical. The costumes by designer Alexis Chaney are rich in style and color. Adalaide’s many outfits are stunning including a beautifully fitted teal-blue dress, and the gamblers all have a unique suit design giving variety.

Guys and Dolls at the Utah Festival of Opera & Musical Theatre is a great production that can fill a soul with joy. The gambles and foibles of dice games, saving sinners, courting showgirls, and finding love blend beautifully with song and dance. Plenty more than lady luck makes this production worth the odds to attend. Audiences looking for a quality theatrical experience with great performers are presented with an excellently written musical full of wonderful characters, music, and dance at UFOMT this summer.