Guys & Dolls

A word from the Director

I've never directed Chekov and I'd break out in a cold sweat at the thought of helming a large-scale production of one of Shakespeare's great tragedies, but when comes to musicals, I'd tackle anything – the bigger, the better! The opportunity to direct Guys and Dolls for d'Overbroeck's was, for me, unmissable – it is one of the best shows from the Golden Age of musical theatre.

It is a love story, but it is not sentimental – it is a story about how lovers must accept each others' faults and attempt to compromise. There are no Prince Charmings here, no helpless damsels; this is a rather modern tale of love enduring in a world of deceit, criminality and greed.

It is also incredibly funny – the dialogue is witty and fast-paced; the characters bold, broadly-drawn archetypes.

This was always going to be an ambitious project. The music itself is difficult, juxtaposing jazzy discords with sweeping, cinematic melodies. For our leads we needed performers who could sing, dance and evoke real empathy in an audience. Our chorus had to be masters of multi-roling, playing gamblers, tramps, pick-pockets, Cuban dancers and waiters over scenes which spanned New York streets, sewers, chapels and nightclubs.

All this was achieved with aplomb – the minimalist set meant that the responsibility was on the actors themselves to transport an audience to these various locales, which they did with finesse.

From Steve Litherland's post-rehab-Blanche Dubois-drag-nightmare interpretation of General Cartwright to Dave Christie-Miller's flailing giant of a Lieutenant Brannigan, the supporting roles were tremendous fun to create largely due to the sophisticated comic sensibilities of a remarkably talented cast. Lydia Hassan and Zanni Cohen were a natural comic pairing, channelling the spirits of the great double acts into a performance that truly sparkled – they barely needed directing, such was their consummate skill.

One would expect dynamic, layered and detailed performances from Rosie Cohen, Josh Vizor and Cressy Stewart (as Adelaide, Nathan and Sarah Brown respectively) – these three being high-flying year 13 Drama students – and they did not disappoint. Matt Thorns' performance was truly remarkable: Sky Masterson is a complex, difficult character to make sense of, and after a great deal of hard work understanding his motives, his background and the rootless nature of this soul-searching lone wolf, Matt turned in a definitive performance that will live in everyone's memory for years to come.

Special thanks must go to Tom New who must be one of the most efficient, ruthless stage managers ever to grace a school production. His organisational skill and ability to delegate, give instructions and run the entire show from the wings was incredibly professional. Without him there would have been no show. Well, there would have been, but everyone would be holding the wrong props and doing scenes in a completely random order.

Lastly, I feel I must issue an apology to a cast that was forced to work with a hubristic drama teacher who believed himself to be a choreographer when he was nothing of the sort. We got there in the end, but it was truly a team effort – your hard work, patience and commitment was worthy of a cast and crew twice your age, and the success of the finished product was down to your focus and determination. Heart-felt thanks to you all.

— Joe Swarbrick, Director