It's time for my updated review of Guys and Dolls.I saw this show back in December and it was good, but needed a lot of work. I came back for a second time because the cast has changed and among the cast is Richard Kind, who performed as Bing Bong in the movie Inside Out, and Samantha Spiro, who recently won a Basic Theatre Award. The main problems with the production when I last saw it were: diction, lighting, all scenes taking place in the Hot Box and I wasn't the biggest fan of Sophie Thompson. I can gladly say all these problems have been fixed and the show is now stunning! Diction is no longer a problem and I could hear all the actors very clearly, lighting is really good now; especially during the underground scene in act two, all the scenes in the Hot Box are now really fun and lastly Sophie Thompson has left and has been replaced by the stunning Samantha Spiro. The actors really gave it their all and this certainly paid off. The orchestra were really good and the choreography was just as good as it was at the Savoy Theatre. There are some really talented dancers in the ensemble. The new cast were far superior than the old cast. Richard Kind is better than David Haig and I feel this is because I found him funnier. I was laughing at him throughout, but I may be a bit biased because I loved his voice as Bing Bong in the movie Inside Out! David Haig was still very good. Samantha Spiro is a 100 times better than Sophie Thompson, there's no comparison between the two. Samantha gives a hilarious performance and doesn't put on the annoying voice Sophie puts on. Sophie seemed to be trying very hard where as Samantha is just naturally funny. It's very hard to choose between Jamie Parker and Oliver Tompsett, because I really did think Jamie gave a mesmerising performance, but I would have to choose Oliver. Oliver has a voice that I could listen to for hours and it resembles Michael Buble. This decision is based on Oliver's voice and he is one of the best voices I have heard in a while. This cast all seem to gel really well together, especially Richard and Samantha, and Oliver and Siubhan. Cast members who stood out for me were Richard Kind as Nathan Detroit, Samantha Spiro as Miss. Adelaide, Oliver Tompsett as Sky Masterson, Siubhan Harrison as Sarah Brown, Gavin Spokes as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Jason Pennycooke as Benny Southstreet. I thought Siubhan was really good last time, but this time she gave a stunning performance! God knows how she wasn't given an Olivier award nomination. The show was a lot funnier than last time and I loved the Havana scene. Best wishes to Cornelius Clarke, who hit his head on a trap door during the show, and kudos to his understudy Giovanni Spano for stepping in. The scene where Nicely Nicely Johnson sung 'Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat' was spectacular! Gavin Spokes and Jason Pennycooke were well matched and I thought they made a great team.
The featured star of Guys and Dolls is, drum roll please... SAMANTHA SPIRO!
Samantha was utterly hilarious in this role and was perfectly casted! One thing that I didn't realise before, is that she is a great singer!
Now for my final verdict on Guys and Dolls. I give Guys and Dolls...
Guys and Dolls has gone up a star and it sure deserves it! To those who have already seen the show, I recommend going back to see this great cast as they are incredible!
Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Join me next time when I will be reviewing Hobson's Choice.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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