Maine State Music

Theatre’s main stage productions under artistic director Curt Dale Clark have followed somewhat of a theme the past few years: contemporary works mixed with recently revived chestnuts and audience favorites from past seasons.

For example, this season began with an audience favorite, “Always… Patsy Cline,” and now features an old standby, “Guys and Dolls,” which premiered in 1950 and has had numerous Broadway revivals since, most recently in 2009. This will be followed by “Grease,” which should appeal to everyone from Baby Boomers to Millennials; “Newsies,” a contemporary piece that debuted on Broadway in 2012; and “The All Night Strut,” a late ’70s homage to the golden age of jazz. In other words, something for everybody.

Cutting edge? No. But that’s not a bad thing. If anything, it shows that MSMT’s recent record-breaking attendance is largely due to Clark’s keen business acumen and expert knowledge of musical theater—what works for a particular company and geographic region, and what doesn’t. And clearly, his choices work for MSMT’s audience.

Looking at “Guys and Dolls” in this sense, choosing to follow up the intimate twoperson dramedy “Always… Patsy Cline” with a musical that sports a large ensemble, a flashy set and costume designs, numerous dance routines and a stageplay that could be construed as a screwball comedy may seem calculating. And you would be justified in thinking as such. But whether you’re a season subscriber or someone who only sees this play, the results are no less enjoyable— indeed, immensely so.

Directed by DJ Salisbury and set in New York City circa 1949 (or, as Clark recently called it, a “cotton candy version” of NYC), “Guys and Dolls” is essentially a tale of two couples and their romantic ups-and-downs. The younger couple consists of Sky Masterson (Mark Lukas), a high-stakes gambler with a religious upbringing, and Sarah Brown (Kristen Hahn), a somewhat naïve Salvation Army member who’s trying to run a mission in New York with little success. The older couple is comprised of Nathan Detroit (James Beaman), a colleague of Masterson who runs a floating craps game, and his fiancée of 14 years, Adelaide (Charis Leos), the lead dancer in a burlesque troupe at the not so subtlety named Hot Box nightclub who wants nothing more than to be a housewife and raise children.

More than a dozen gamblers have descended on the city to roll dice in one of Nathan’s craps games, but there’s a problem: the police are on high alert, and Nathan doesn’t have the money to pay one of the few establishments willing to host the game. So he makes a $1,000 bet with Sky that he’s certain is a sure win: that Sky can’t convince the staid Sarah to have dinner with him in Havana, Cuba. Sky accepts the bet, and begins to woo Sarah. Meanwhile, Nathan has to dodge the police, appease agitated gangsters and fend off an impatient Adelaide, who’s tired of waiting for marriage.

All four leads have impressive acting and singing abilities. Lukas plays Masterson with the right mix of bravado and vulnerability, and his rugged good looks and charm make it believable that a strait-laced girl would fall for him, even if his first intentions are less than honorable. Hahn imbues Sarah with a sense of buttoned down conservativism concealing an adventurous spirit aching for release (which is finally let loose when she’s had one too many cocktails in Havana), and the actress is able to emulate the period’s vocal style a la Risë Stevens well. And theater veteran Beaman is so spot-on as the charismatic, fun-loving, marriage hating Detroit that the role seems tailor-made for him. All three make their MSMT debuts with this musical.

But without a doubt, the standout star once again is Leos, a 12-year veteran of MSMT who, mere days before “Guys and Dolls” opened, was receiving standing ovations as Louise in “Always… Patsy Cline.” Even when she’s surrounded by more than a dozen other actors, Leos’ onstage presence is so commanding, her comedic timing so impeccable, that your eyes can’t help but focus on her. MSMT is truly lucky to have her.

Also worth noting are Detroit’s closest buddies, a trio of loyal (if not somewhat inept) gamblers who try to help Nathan set up the craps game without losing Adelaide in the process: Nicely- Nicely Johnson (Steve Gagliastro), Benny Southstreet (Brad Bradley) and Rusty Charlie (Raymond Marc Dumont). They deliver their lines with a smooth combination of verbal and physical comedy, and when they sing in three-part harmony, the results are note perfect. Extra kudos go to Gagliastro for his lead vocal on “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

MSMT always has professional quality sets and costumes, but those in “Guys and Dolls” are nothing short of jaw-dropping. Yes, part of it is due to the simple barrage of bright lights and colors, from the loud pastels of the gangsters’ suits to the sparkling Hot Box sign, but the attention to detail is impressive. Almost everything in Robert Andrews Kovach’s set design is period appropriate, from a vintage newspaper and metallic mesh trash can to the wooden filing cabinet and tinted glass windows of the mission scene. (I say “almost” because I did spy a 50-star U.S. flag; but that’s a minor overlook that’s easily forgiven.)

Salisbury’s choreography is as tight as it is ambitious, especially the tango dancing in “Havana” and the somersaulting, back-flipping gangster number “The Crapshooters’ Dance.” And, of course, there’s Frank Loesser’s iconic songbook, which includes such classics as “Luck Be a Lady” and the aforementioned “Get Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

If there’s one thing that mars “Guys and Dolls,” it’s the misogynistic undertones that occasionally bubble to the surface, most notably during “Adelaide’s Lament” (“The average unmarried female/ Basically insecure/ Due to some long frustration may react”) and “Marry the Man Today” (“Marry the man today/ And change his ways tomorrow”). But if one views the play as a period piece, it takes a bit of the sting out. Remember, this play was first presented in the early 1950s, when TV housewives wore pearls and pumps while vacuuming, and everyone laughed when Ricky lost his temper with Lucy.

In other words: Don’t let a few sexist moments spoil what is otherwise a highly enjoyable musical. And when it comes to MSMT’s “Guys and Dolls,” “highly enjoyable” is an apt description.

“Guys and Dolls” runs through July 15 at the Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus. Tickets are $52 to $80 (prices vary by date and time). Call 725-8769 or visit msmt.org.