In its first in-person production since the pre-pandemic production of Chicago in February 2019, Trinity Musical Theatre (TMT) is taking to the O’Reilly stage with a colourful rendition of the Broadway classic Guys and Dolls. As the orchestra slightly uneasily takes on the jazzy tones of the opening instrumental notes of Edward Strauss’ “Runyonland”, the curtains opened to the bustle of the city, with the cast walking across the stage with scenes of street fighting, flirting and police pursuit. Set in a lively incarnation of 1950s New York, the functional black and white set provided a clean backdrop to enhance the vibrancy of its costumes and characters.
“Fugue for Tinhorn” then introduces the three small-time gamblers on the New York scene, Nicely-Nicely Johnson (George Rohan), Benny Southstreet (Callum Byrne) and Rusty Charlie (Alba Walsh Subiran). The trio’s singing overlapped indistinguishably, unfortunately, obscuring their voices and the lyrics. However, as the production continued, they were able to cement their talent, both through Byrne’s lofty mastery of the New York accent and Rohan’s confident solo performance of “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” in the second act.
The juxtaposition between the propriety of the “Save-a-Soul” missionaries and the seedy gangster underworld was effectively conveyed through Hanna Novak’s costume design, which pits long skirts and tightly wound buns against the mini-shorts and corsetry of the eponymous “dolls”, who seductively danced in a characteristically pin-up fashion. These ambitious dance sequences, choreographed by Niamh McDermott, while at times unco-ordinated due to the number of dancers on stage, punctuated the plot of the musical with lighthearted grooviness.
Rachel Galvin’s Miss Adelaide provided one of the most skilful performances of the production, nailing her character’s annoying nasally voice and maintaining her strong accent while singing. She expertly played off Dan Whelan’s precise comic timing in his portrayal of Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide’s long-time fiancé. Additionally, she seamlessly achieved the subtle tonality of her character’s morose lament at Nathan’s refusal to wed her in opposition to the on-the-nose comic relief moments she provided.
Galvin’s performance is complemented by the romantic plot of Guys and Dolls, between the missionary Sarah Brown (Hannah McNicholas Roche) and the brazen gambler Sky Masterson (David Hannafin). The pair, through the juxtaposition between Roche’s nervous composition and the gradual breakdown of Hannafin’s charismatic nonchalance, formed the highlight of the show. Their onstage chemistry which accompanied the plot of their simmering love story, underpinned the production, with their full-bodied and powerful voices seamlessly playing off one another in the pair’s duets.
Guys and Dolls ostensibly drags on throughout its second act and TMT’s rendition was at times clustered with too many actors onstage at a time. The final scenes, however, bolstered the production, with the performers growing in confidence and the storyline became more cohesive. Indeed, the pivotal point of the musical – a conversation between Miss Adelaide and Sarah Brown – firmly dated the production back to its original performance in 1950. But overall, the society’s first post-pandemic production is fun, fresh and vibrant.
Guys and Dolls runs until February 26th at the O’Reilly Theatre in Belvedere College. Tickets are available here.
