Regional
Guys and Dolls
(Crossley Terrace Theatre, L.A.; 99 seats; $17 top)
Cast: Tim Farmer (Nathan Detroit), Janet Raycraft (Miss Adelaide), Perry Stephens (Sky Masterson), Susan Sandel (Sarah Brown), Kelley Hinman (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Tom Hillmann (Benny Southstreet), Bryan Reed (Rusty Charlie), Walt Beaver (Arvide), Mark Henderson (Lt. Brannigan), Shawn Hoffman (Harry the Horse), John Elerick (Big Jule), Elaine Welton Hill (General Cartwright); Patrick Hare, Ellen Treanor, Renee Roque, John Allsopp, Jayson Kalani, Shanda Gibson, Teresa Klover, Chris Salmon, Aries Albelais.
The colorful denizens of Damon Runyon's Broadway are still seeking out "the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York," but they are doing it on a much smaller scale in this minimalist but still vibrant production by the Hollywood-based Actors Co-op. Director Alan P. Johnson offers more impression than production in the show's many chorus numbers, concentrating instead on Runyon's richly conceived central characters. This works because the cast is first-rate and the design team has worked wonders with the theater's limited space. Farmer is a wonderfully pliant Nathan, bending but not breaking under all the misfortunes that befall him. His plaintive "Sue Me" manages to be both crestfallen and conniving as he struggles to win back his beloved Adelaide, played to the comedic hilt by Raycraft. Her sniffle-ridden rendition of "Adelaide's Lament" is one of the highlights of the show.
The parallel courtship of high-roller Sky Masterson (Perry Stephens) and missionary soul-saver Sarah Brown (Susan Sandel) is highlighted by Stephens' matinee-idol magnetism and Sandel's soaring rendition of "If I Were a Bell."
Kelley Hinman as the lowlife Nicely-Nicely Johnson gives an electrifying rendition of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat," the one true show-stopper.
The production numbers have been scaled down by choreographer Teresa Klorer, but their effectiveness is hampered by the low-energy musical direction of Craig Victor Fentor. Fentor's computer-synthesized keyboards execute all the proper notes but sound more like an under-volumed calliope than a pit orchestra.
Scenic design, Yakovetic; lighting design, Alan Falkner; costume design, Shon LeBlanc, A. Jeffrey Schoenberg; choreography, Teresa Klorer. Opened Nov. 10, 1995; reviewed Nov. 12; runs through Dec. 23. Running time: 2 hours, 40 min.
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