PHOTO: Opening scene of TUTS' 2018 performance of "Guys and Dolls." Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston. — Opening scene of TUTS' 2018 performance of "Guys and Dolls." Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston.

REVIEW: ‘Guys and Dolls’ re-imagined with a cast reflective of Houston’s diversity

By Alyssa Shotwell, Online Editor Last updated Jul 3, 2018 624 0

A scene from a musical number depicting a singing man and woman who is not interested — Sky Masterson played by Omar Lopez-Cepero and Sarah Brown played by Madison Claire Parks stubbornly protesting they’ll know when their true love comes in the song “I’ll Know.” Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston.

From June 12 to 24, Theatre under the Stars (TUTS), a musical theatre and arts education non-profit, put on 16 performances of “Guys and Dolls” as its final show of their 49th season.

“Guys and Dolls” is known by many a theater-goer as a classic. It tells the fictional story of a high stakes gambler, Sky Masterson (played by Omar Lopez-Cepero), taking a bet against Nathan Turner (played by Carlos Lopez) to entice Sarah Brown (played by Madison Claire Parks) of the local missionary into taking a day trip to Havana, Cuba. While Sky’s motivation for this bet it just the thrill of a challenge, Nathan’s motivation is using the winnings to fund a location for the floating illegal crap game he is running. Meanwhile, Nathan’s “doll” and star of the local hot box, Adelaide (played by Michelle Aravena), is pressuring him to get married, as they have been engaged for 14 years.

This run of “Guys and Dolls” featured a predominantly Hispanic cast and included a member with a disability. Other than the need for representation in media, this decision worked within the confine of the story’s setting and made sense considering the community of Houston is largely diverse.

PHOTO: "Crapshooters Ballet" featuring Sofiya Cheyenne as “Big Jule” and the guys. Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston. — “Crapshooters Ballet” featuring Sofiya Cheyenne as “Big Jule” and the guys. Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston.

The story is debated to have been set in the 1920s to 1930s or late 1940s to early 1950s New York City. The lyrics and dialogue specifically pointed out different burrows and streets throughout New York City (NYC). NYC has been known to be one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States and has large populations of immigrants from Latin American countries as well as European countries. Houston is one of the cities challenging that title as a more diverse metropolis, so it is fabulous to see that notion come forward in casting, especially in a production where it is not part of the requirement like “West Side Story,” “The Wiz” or “Hamilton.”

“Guys and Dolls” has a relatively simple plot, only made complex by the character’s antics. With the sets being so diverse, a production of this particular show seems like a logistical nightmare. However, TUTS’ production team pulled it off so smooth and creatively. For example, the transition from a scene on Broadway in New York to the country of Cuba saw the dimming of the lights, a flashing sign above the stage that read “fasten your seatbelts,” and the sounds of an airplane leaving the runway. The transition sequence back to New York was a similar spectacle.

Other than audience engagement, directors and stage staff that pull in these immersive elements such as what they did in this recent production of “Guys and Dolls” make shows really worth viewing live.

Just as in most performances of this musical, a talented force playing Adelaide steals the show. Aravena had every part of that character down from the charisma to the sniffles in “Adelaide’s Lament.” Unlike most of the Latinx characters, she specifically references her nationality as Puerto Rican-American when she mentions all of the letters she had sent to her mother living in the U.S. territory. The way she talked about the corresponding letters between her and her mother was delivered so well and authentically that the audience felt as though the mother existed as an on-stage character.

PHOTO: Miss Adelaide, played by Michelle Aravena, and her hot box girls singing "Take Back Your Mink." Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston. — Miss Adelaide, played by Michelle Aravena, and her Hot Box Girls singing “Take Back Your Mink.” Photo by Melissa Taylor and courtesy of Theater Under The Stars Houston.

The orchestra and costumes were top notch and accentuated the mastery of physical comedy by cast and chorus. The physical comedy was consistently brilliant throughout the show.

An example of costuming complementing the physical comedy was in Ms. Adelaide and the Hot Box Girls’ performance of “Bustle and a Peck.” At one point in the burlesque style performance, Ms. Adelaide, dolled up in a revealing farm girl dress, was fetching eggs from nests that were fastened to each cup of the Hot Box Girls’ brassieres. One egg proceeded to get ‘stuck’ and that ordeal of Adelaide trying to rip it off by any means necessary during the performance continued for a moment as the rest of the Hot Box Girls continued on with the musical number.

Entering this performance hall with the twinkling constellation that sits overhead the audience never disappoints, and this latest performance is no exception. The cheesy, yet lovable classic story is always a delight to watch, but experiencing it live at TUTS under the vision of this production team left one singing the lyrics for weeks after.

If you are interested in attending a future TUTS show this year, TUTS’ will kick off their 50th anniversary season with a production of “Oklahoma!” in collaboration with the Houston Ballet Sept. 11 to 23. Productions of “The Wiz,” from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, and “Beauty and the Beast,” from Dec. 11 to 23 will also take place later this fall.