A musical comedy about rolling the dice and falling in love under the bright lights of Broadway.

Gambler Nathan Detroit tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend, nightclub performer Adelaide, laments that they've been engaged for 14 years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, but Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown. Guys And Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong.

REVIEW –  by John Kitching

GUYS and Dolls was praised by the great choreographer Bob Fosse as "the greatest American musical of all time" quite a statement for Yeadon-based Amateur group Brassneck to live up to, but boy do they manage it.

Based on a series of short stories written by Damon Runyan nearly 100 years ago. The stories were made into the musical over 70 years ago by Frank Loesser and have since that time become a staple for amateur societies worldwide.

Some would question whether it can stand up against some of the newer musicals around, but in the hands of Brassneck and their production team led by director Royston Bayfield, the show has been transformed and had new life breathed into it.

The simple set is awash with neon signs and I’m sure I heard the gentle hum of the crowds and traffic as we were transported back to the 1950s streets of New York and the lives of the gamblers and showgirls that permanently inhabit this world.

From the opening number (Fugue for Tinhorns) I knew we were in for a musical treat. The story follows the efforts of Nathan Detroit as he tries to find a venue for an illicit gambling party while being pestered by his showgirl fiancé of 14 years, Adelaide, to marry her. Enter Sky Masterson who takes a seemingly impossible bet with Nathan, add into the mix Sarah Brown and you have all the ingredients for a fairy tale set in the streets of New York.

The four lead characters are all seasoned actors, Richard Lloyd and Caroline Bayfield as Nathan and Adelaide work well as he struggles to secure a venue for the dice game and she aims to marry him and move on from her showgirl days. Ben Tomlinson and Chloe Anderson as Sky and Sarah make the perfect couple as they are thrust together (because of Sky’s bet with Nathan) and quickly find themselves attracted to each other and fighting against their instincts. All four leads have wonderful singing voices and strong acting talent.

The leads are perfectly complimented by a line-up of minor parts and a chorus peppered with individuals who can boast numerous lead roles in previous productions making the musical numbers outstanding with strong and confidant harmonies the result no doubt of hours of work by musical director Tom Kyle. Tom also takes charge of the 15 strong band who are placed above and behind the cast.

The fact that the harmonies and individual instruments can be appreciated is down to the technical skills of sound engineer Oliver Trenouth who works tirelessly throughout the show balancing all the different elements to compliment the talent on stage and in the pit.

It would be unfair to pick out individual cast members for praise, but I feel mention must go to Paul Metcalfe and Stu Hutchinson who play Benny and Nicely-Nicely, perfectly cast in their supporting roles, in particular Stu who embodies my vision of Nicely and performs a wonderful version of the showstopper Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat to cap off his performance.

The dance sequences created by choreographer Sarah Joice are simple but effective, ranging from the flowing Hot Box girl routines to more stylised gambler sequences, I was particularly taken by the Havana café dance scene where cast members ‘danced’ tables and chairs into position.

Tom Hughes set design seems simple but dealing with a two-tier set, incorporating the band and moving seamlessly between New York streets, night club, mission hall, sewers and Havana is a technical feat in itself but effectively incorporating the maze of neon is amazing.

The whole show is lifted by the lighting, whilst the neon lights evoke the steamy streets of New York the more conventional lighting grid provides that extra level whether we are deep in the sewers or in the night club with the Miss Adelaide and the Hot Box girls, Peter Hargreaves’ design is brilliantly effective drawing us into the world of gamblers and showgirls.

Directing the whole production and drawing together the different technical aspects together requires talent and vision and in Royston Brassneck have a talented director willing to take risks and back himself to deliver the goods. Maybe he should have a word with Nathan.