Guys & Dolls – Bridge Theatre, London

Nicholas Hytner’s take on the classic Broadway musical Guys & Dolls sees innovative staging and great performances combine into an unforgettable evening.

Back At The Bridge

It’s been a while since I’ve been at the Bridge Theatre. During the pandemic it was an absolute lifesaver: within walking distance from me at the time, and one of the first theatres to reopen. Once it was back to business as usual I have to admit I tired after a while of various combinations of Nicholas Hytner + Simon Russell Beale. It doesn’t long for gratitude to become ingratitude. Too many excellent plays? No thank you, I’ll sit this one out! I exaggerate a little, but as London’s cultural calendar filled up once more it became tempting to try out the new and exciting.

If it was the new and exciting that led me away from the Bridge, it was the new and exciting which brought me back again. More specifically, I came to see Nicholas Hytner’s production of Guys & Dolls. That’s not a new musical, though, so what’s so new and exciting about it?

Well, it’s all about the staging. Hytner has collaborated with designer Bunny Christie to create a truly extraordinary set. The plethora of neon signs to denote different spaces is already quite impressive. But the stage is something else. Sections raise and lower to create whatever location is necessary: a cabaret, a sewer, a Havana gay bar. Those with standing tickets are so close to the action you might need to watch out for the high kicks. Ushers dressed as New York cops control the audience: moving them into position for the next stage movement, or out of the way of set furniture coming in and out. It’s an incredibly complex, well-oiled machine.

Guys & Dolls

The first question, then, is whether to buy a seated or standing ticket. The standing tickets are palpably more fun, and I feel I missed out a little by sitting. I had a good view though, and also know myself well enough to know I would struggle standing for that long. A Bridge Theatre insider tells me they have people fainting every evening who are less cautious or less self-aware than I. The Urban Geographer is considering going back and buying a standing ticket this time: it’s that good.

Let’s actually talk about the musical though, shall we? Guys & Dolls premiered in 1950. It’s based loosely on the work of Damon Runyon, not as much of a household name these days as, say, Raymond Chandler, but a pioneer of that sort of gangster-talk fiction. Rather than the Los Angeles settings of a lot of film noir, however, Guys & Dolls (and Runyon’s work) is very much a New York story.

Like all good musicals, there are a couple of story lines. There is Nathan Detroit (Daniel Mays), desperate to find a location for his long-running underground craps game. He’s got to stay one step ahead of the law, and also of his fiancée of fourteen years (yes, fourteen), Miss Adelaide (Marisha Wallace). Then there is Sky Masterson (Andrew Richardson). As part of a ploy to win the money needed to secure a venue, Detroit makes Masterson a bet. A bet involving prim Salvation Army Sergeant Sarah Brown (Celinde Schoenmaker). Will it all work out? You’ll have to come and see for yourself.

An Excellent Production On All Fronts

The talent involved in bringing this production of Guys & Dolls together is immense. The performances of each actor I’ve already named would be stand-outs if the overall standards weren’t so high. It’s funny, energetic, and with fully-developed female characters (not a given in other productions, I’m told). There are musical numbers that whip the audience into a frenzy, and entertainment even in the interval: on the night we saw it, a tap dancer tapped the tap right off his shoe, he was dancing so hard. Everyone is utterly committed, and the result is an immersive, exciting experience.

If you see Guys & Dolls, I very much recommend purchasing the programme. It has several excepts and articles which give an insight into how this musical came to be. It breaks down the strange formality of gangster language at the time, and the partnership between Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Cy Feuer which brought it to the stage.

And if you don’t see Guys & Dolls, why not? I highly recommend it, especially if you can get in before there are any significant cast changes. Compared to other musical revivals I’ve recently seen, here is an example of a production modernised in the right ways to keep it fresh but also fun and entertaining. If you do get an immersive standing ticket, let me know what you think in the comments.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4.5/5

Guys & Dolls booking until 24 February 2024