March 23, 2007
The Country Dinner Playhouse presents:
"Guys and Dolls"
A Review by Stan Dyer
If you're ever standing outside the Country Dinner Playhouse, and someone bets you that the jack of spades is going to jump out of the roof and squirt cider in your ear, it's a sure thing you're going to end up with an earful of cider. The Playhouse is proving to be a sure thing when it comes to pulling off amazing feats. Now through May 6 th, they're doing it with America's longest-running, permanent, floating craps game, "Guys and Dolls".
Based on the 1932 Damon Runyon story, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown", "Guys and Dolls" is the theatre adaptation by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows. It features all the "damonesque" characters and language of the bootleg era on Broadway, brought to life with new faces, new talent and new energy.
Jimmy Ferraro is perfect as "Nicely-Nicely". First, he teams with Rob Costigan, (Benny Southstreet), in my favorite number from the first act, "Guys and Dolls". The entire first act is great, but this number is so crisp, so well choreographed, and the two actors work so well together, it anchors and defines the entire play. It pulls it all together. As hard as these guys were working, I'll give you 12 to 7 they were doing it for some doll. Ferraro was just getting started.
In the second act, after Ferraro's Nicely-Nicely character stands up to give his testimonial at the prayer meeting in the number, "Sit down, you're rocking the boat", no one was sitting and the whole house was rocking. I don't know if it's good direction, good casting, or the man is possessed, but he and the cast simply brought that scene to life. I never enjoyed that scene as much done by anyone else.
The night I saw the show, it gelled perfectly. Everyone in the cast worked together well to produce one of the best overall versions of "Guys and Dolls" I've witnessed. There is a lot of excellent vocal work, good acting, and remarkable footwork. Most theatres wouldn't even try to get that many people in a space that size, but the Playhouse did and had them twisting, tumbling and spinning in ways that would make the "Cirque de Soleil" say, "How'd they do that?" Other notable performances include Jordan Leigh as "Nathan Detroit", and Sharon Kay White as "Miss Adelaide". Leigh's squinty-eyed take on the Detroit character is well done, you'll like him. Ms White makes a great Adelaide and accentuates the life dreams of Dolls in the 30's and 40's. Why did they want to marry these guys?.
Don't miss this show. It is cute, lively, romantic, entertaining and fun. You have my marker that this is one of the season's best. If you wear a red carnation, you'll get dinner and free parking too! Just keep your eyes out for Lt. Brannigan. C'mon and grab a seat among one dozen assorted sinners and you won't have to worry about Luck being a Lady, she'll be sitting right next to you. Let the Playhouse show you what I already know, the actors at the Playhouse "Can Do". This show is "A+" through and through.
"Guys and Dolls" will be at the Country Dinner Playhouse through May 6. There are eight shows a week: five evening performances Wednesday through Sunday starting at 7:45 p.m. and three Matinees, one each on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Matinees begin at 1:45. For tickets and more information, phone 303-799-1410, or visit the website at
www.countrydinnerplayhouse.com.
The Country Dinner Playhouse
6875 S. Clinton Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80112
(Clinton is one traffic light east of I-25 on Arapahoe)