GUYS
AND DOLLS
Directed by Sean Duxbury
NODA Review
An excellent production from Sean Duxbury
starting at a good, cracking pace in Runyonland through
Fugue For Tinhorns, Follow The Fold and The Oldest
Established Crap Game. The momentum was kept up throughout.
Paul Kirkbright acted and sang well as Sky Masterson. He
was beautifully partnered by Natalie Cooper as Sarah Brown.
The Havana number fairly zipped along.
Natalie's performance as a tipsy Sarah was well controlled.
Graham Evans was wonderfully devious as Nathan trying to
get one step ahead of Lt. Brannigan and his well-known
fiancée Miss Adelaide.
Which brings me to the magnificent performance given by
Barbara Wolfe in this plum role. Her timing was impeccable,
her dancing excellent and her singing was clear and
concise, especially the duet with Sarah. Ken Brindley was
well cast as Lt. Brannigan. He got all the comedy lines
across to the audience.
A wonderfully entertaining Luck Be A Lady, no dancing, as
such, but plenty of movement, well deserved the applause at
the end of the number. All the gangsters made the most of
their respective roles, especially Ben Mayo as Big Jule.
The costumes were lovely, and I must mention the gangsters
suits - all colours of the rainbow, superbly eye-catching.
Choreographers, Gill Brown and Renée Clitheroe made an
excellent job of the dancing numbers. Musical director
Frank Fielding kept a good tempo throughout an excellent
evening.
