Sarasota’s Asolo Rep stages a rousing ‘Guys and Dolls’

Theater companies seldom stage “Guys and Dolls” these days. It appears that the last local production in the Bradenton-Sarasota was the one Manatee Players mounted five-and-a-half years ago. The last Broadway production was a short-lived one in 2009, and the show currently has no national tours.

That’s despite of its undisputed status as true classic of musical theater, it’s a steady stream of familiar songs and its colorful characters who have become part of American mythology.

All that makes the current production from Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota especially welcome. And experiencing the production makes the currently slackened popularity of the show even more mysterious, because this production demonstrates that, in the right hands, “Guys and Dolls” is just about as close to perfect as a musical comedy can get.

Everything’s right with this bouncy and brightly colored staging. directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes.

Rhodes, scenic designer Lee Savage and costume designer Brian C. Hemesath make you feel nostalgic for a milieu that probably never actually existed, where colorfully nicknamed small-time hustlers who wore suits and ties dominated midtown Manhattan, played craps in the sewers and fended off marriage with their “dolls.” Savage’s set is portable and adaptable, but keeps the unmistakeable look of 1950-ish Broadway ever-present, with stylized signs and advertisements almost always in view, and the hues of Hemesath’s costumes seem designed to give the production the feel of an old-fashioned Sunday comic strip.

All the performances, including those from the pit orchestra and the entire ensemble, are delightful. People who know “Guys and Dolls” from the movie version might find Chris Hoch initially off-putting as Nathan Detroit — he could not look less like the young Frank Sinatra who had the movie role — but his comic timing and his interpretation of Nathan, the none-too-bright big shot wannabe who’s in over his head in every aspect of his life, quickly win you over. Audrey Cardwell as Sarah Brown, Veronica J. Kuehn as Miss Adelaide and Cole Burden as Sky Masterson are all more or less physically reminiscent of the actors from the film version, but they bring lively new takes on their characters with their charismatic performances. Cardwell, who has perhaps the most complex role, is hilarious in the Havana scene, but smart and sympathetic in her more serious scenes. Kuehn is simply an absolute hoot from start to finish.

Of course, most of us go to a musical mostly because of the songs, and Frank Loesser created an astounding string of classic for this show. You know almost all of the songs even if you’ve never seen the show. A highlight, in almost and incarnation of the show, is “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” which is often cited as the stereotypical example of an 11 o’clock number, and the Rhodes and his cast enhance it with clever, high-energy choreography and dancing.

“Guys and Dolls” won’t make you think. It won’t provide you with insights into the human condition or alter your point of view. It’s a couple of hours of glorious fun. That’s all, but that’s plenty.

Details: Through Jan. 1, Mertz Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $17-$82. 941-351-8000, asolorep.org.

This story was originally published November 25, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Sarasota’s Asolo Rep stages a rousing ‘Guys and Dolls’."