Guys and Dolls
recalls an age
of innocence

@ Guys and Dolls, music
and Ivrics by Frank Loesser,
directed by Michael
Shamata at the Vancouver
Playhouse to Dec. 9.
Reservation information:
873-3311.

“This crap quite is aver a
guage in Fifevsecond Street
this particular night, though
sometintes 12 is over a restate
vant in Forry-seventh Street, av
in back of a ciquy store in Forty
fourth Sereet, In fawt, Nathan
Detroit's crap gant is ape ta be
anywhere. decanse it utoves
aronud every itight, as there 6
no sense ine a crap qoute stavinuy
in one spot uutil the coppers
find ont where itt

Martin Mitlerchip

Arts Editor
wamillerchi pQusnews.cost

IN the 1930s, Damon
Runyon created a world
of gangsters, gamblers,
New York sinners and
assorted “dames” in a series of short stories.

Runvon’s genius was 0 present his lawbreaking lowhfes as
somewhat innucent, simple fellows. Their use of perfect bad
English kept readers smiling and thus transtormed villains a10
quirky heroes or, at worst, dumb goots,

In PYRO, Frank Loesser made the gangsters sing and dance
and Runyan’s unreal world became even nore romanticized.
The movie based on the Broadway show is infamous for Marton
Brando not being able to sing, but the original staging was an
instant smash and played tor over 1,200 pertormauices. Fes
come back to Broadway twice since and received 12 Tony
awards.

The reason? Loesser’s retention of Runyon’s fight touch and

PO aca Ate

show tunes that have become standards: “lve Got a Horse
Right Here”, “Take back Your Mink”, “Luck be a Lady
Tonight’, “Fee Never Been in Love Before,” and “Sit Down,
You're Rockin’ the Boat”, the fist goes on and on,

The plot ivelf is sinsple. Small-ume grifter Nathan Detroit is
searching tor a location where he cancun his “oldest established
permanent floating crap game in New York” to satisfy a group
of heavy hitters that include Big Julie and Harry the Horse.
He’s alse trying to Keep his finacée of 14 years, Miss Adelaide,
convinced be has reformed and is no longer gambling, not te
mention that he stl does intend to marry her (“Ifa guy does
not have a doll, who would holler at him?”).

Nathan's biggest problem is a lack of readies. Joey Biltmore

Friday, November 24. 2600 - North &

MALE harmonies excel in the Vancouver Playhouse production of Guys and Dolls. Pictured above are Ncrih Vancouver's excelient
Stephen E. Miller (clockwise from top), Josh Epstein and Shawn Macdonaid.

requires a grand for the use of his garage, and since, “the back
of the police station is out” winning a bet would be the answer.
Enter Sky Masterson, the most charming aud obsessive gambler
that Nathan knows. All Nathan has to dois come up with a bet
that’s a sure thing and float it past Sky. Of course, it will include
a dame since Sky has to sing duets with someone. The doll in
question: the earnest Miss Sarah Brown, who werks for the
Save-a-Soul Mission, trying in vain to save Broadway souls.
Dircetor Michael Shamata and designer John Ferguson have
set the Vancouver Plavhouse production in the thirties, which
moves the musical closer to Runyon’s coors. But Ferguson, per-

See Good page 23