Over the Christmas vacation I was lucky enough to go with my family to see a production of Guys and Dolls, which is currently running at the Bridge theatre, London. Being a musical performance originally released in 1950, I was keen to see how a 2023 style staging of this decades-old play would go down with a modern audience. Having not been to this venue before, I really enjoyed the in-the-round staging design that was both immersive and functional. This theatre is frequently described as “the new globe” (as it actually only opened for productions in 2017) primarily due to this classically associated Shakespearean design and frequent staging of Shakespeare plays on its stage, and I can see why that would be the takeaway from a visit to The Bridge. But, the design does a good job diverting from this label in bringing in the round staging to a more modern audience with its industrial style, open stage floor (where there are tickets available to stand right in the centre of the action) and high-up seats spotted around the peripherals of the rest of the space. For Guys and Dolls, it worked just as well as expected, and although I only had a seated ticket I still felt attached to the play whilst seeing how standing members got to successfully, directly interact with it.
The set design was expertly done with stagehands dressed as policemen moving audience members about the space to allow the show to continue seamlessly. The actual stage was made up of several large concrete blocks of varying size and length that could come up and down from the ground, creating different pathways and angles for the actors and audience to interact with. It was dynamic and shifting, keeping us looking in several different places at a time, always intriguing us as to where the action would go next.
This effect was enhanced by the fun and outlandish costume. Eye-catching bright colours kept your gaze, and the large swishing skirts of the women and well tailored suits of the men added to the 50s feel of the piece and worked hand in hand with the dynamic choreography and the respective characterisation of all the roles.
Being a production full of standout tunes, that I will certainly be blasting from spotify in the oncoming weeks, makes it hard to single out any song that disappointed. However, I can single out a standout moment for me, which came in the second act. Warned by my dad that all the major songs that make the production so iconic were all in the second half, I was eagerly awaiting the oncoming numbers as the interval came to a close. And I was not disappointed, especially when “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” came on. An amazing written song and performed to jazzy perfection, it stole my favourite moment of the show in seconds. Performed by The Voice semi finalist and frequent Broadway star Cedric Neal, he embodied the stage like no other character had yet done with their singing, and he blew me away with his utter vocal power.
Another favourite included the anthem of female power sung by Celinde Schoenmaker as Sarah and Marisha Wallace as Adelaide, shunning their respective useless male counterparts in musical form. The song, “Marry the man today”, was funny and lighthearted though it emphasised the frustration felt by the characters, and us as invested audience members, in the face of their respective, often incompetent, men. It was a beautiful blend of female voices that was one of the few rare moments that the two women are together in the production.
If you’re a fan of musicals and like the classic old age feel of anything that comes from the 50s, then you will love this rendition of Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling’s play. Even for the non-typical theatre goer, I can imagine this would be a fun evening for all, even just for the joyous, light hearted, nature of the musical that my dad and I came away having experienced.
Guys and Dolls is running at The Bridge theatre from 3 Mar 2023 – 31 Aug 2024.
