\ud83c\udfad NEW! Tampa Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
Does GUYS AND DOLLS belong in the conversation as the greatest musical written in the \u00a020th Century?\u00a0 The answer may certainly be a big fat \u201cYES,\u201d but the competition is fierce; it must go head to head with the likes of West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Gypsy, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd and any of the early Rodgers and Hammerstein classics. But few musicals\u2014even some of those standard bearers mentioned above\u2014can boast as many memorable tunes, clever lines of dialogue, beguiling plotlines, iconic characters and an overabundance of charm.\u00a0 GUYS AND DOLLS rivals She Loves Me as perhaps the closest thing to being crowned \u00a0\u201cthe perfect musical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfad NEW! Tampa Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
With music and lyrics by the great Frank Loesser and the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, GUYS AND DOLLS is based on the New York underworld stories and characters of Damon Runyon: \u201cThe Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown,\u201d \u201cBlood Pressure\u201d and \u201cPick the Winner.\u201d\u00a0 In it, the suave high-rolling gambler, Sky Masterson, makes a bet with frantic crap-game organizer Nathan Deteroit that he (Sky) can persuade any woman that Nathan chooses\u2014in this case, prudish and religious Sarah Brown of the Save-a-Soul Mission\u2014to venture to Havana, Cuba, with him. \u00a0Add to that Nathan\u2019s woes with his longtime fianc\u00e9e, Adelaide, and you have the makings for much havoc, hilarity and, best of all, heart. As far as musicals go, GUYS AND DOLLS has it all.<\/p>\n
The current production of this musical theatre icon is being presented by MAD Theatre of Tampa at the Shimberg Playhouse in the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.\u00a0 It runs thru February 1, 2026.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although the script and the songs remain the same, cast-wise and stage-wise this is a much smaller-scaled, pared-down version of GUYS AND DOLLS.\u00a0 If you are used to seeing a half dozen members of the Save-A-Soul mission, then be prepared for a mere three here (four if you count the later appearance of General Cartwright).\u00a0 I always look forward to the show\u2019s opening moments, in Runyonland–a supposed-to-be-vibrant look at the bustling New York City street life that builds until we hear the trumpeting First Call of a horse race that introduces the show\u2019s first number, \u201cFugue for Tinhorns.\u201d\u00a0 Here, it fell kind of flat, and you never got a sense that you were in a big city, let alone New York City (it felt more like New Tampa here). This is where we yearn for a much larger scale to tell this particular story of the busy NYC streets that burst to life in Damon Runyon\u2019s world; the Shimberg works for so many shows, but big musicals always seem to be its Achilles Heel.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
The MAD version of GUYS AND DOLLS is a no frills affair where I wondered how they were ultimately going to tell this big brash musical on such a small, intimate stage.\u00a0 It\u2019s the next morning, and I\u2019m still wondering.<\/p>\n
As it stands, the big numbers, with the exception of the excellent \u201cSit Down, You\u2019re Rockin\u2019 the Boat,\u201d left much to be desired.\u00a0 But the small moments, those intimate scenes between two characters\u2014Sky and Sarah, Nathan and Adelaide\u2014shine best of all in these surroundings.\u00a0 These smaller scenes work so well that you want to re-title the show Guy and Doll.<\/p>\n
It helps that the leads are all splendid and exude so much charm.\u00a0 Standing out as the finest of a fine bunch is Jessica Berger-Vitalo as the sniffling Miss Adelaide.\u00a0 The part is a slam dunk whoever plays it, but Ms. Berger-Vitalo takes it to the next level. She doesn\u2019t try to do another Vivian Blaine impression; she makes the part her own.\u00a0 The performance is a quirky delight.\u00a0 One of the great comedic songs in history, \u201cAdelaide\u2019s Lament,\u201d becomes a rousing tour de force in \u00a0Ms. Vitalo-Berger\u2019s grip.\u00a0 Her singing, her acting, all come together to underscore why this is considered one of the great character musicals.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
There\u2019s a moment when Adelaide tells her beau, Nathan, about faking being married and having children for her mother.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a boy,\u201d she says at one point, turning her announcement into a fake gender-reveal moment complete with blue confetti.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t overdo the Adelaide accent, but it\u2019s there.\u00a0 And her wee moments\u2014like mispronouncing \u201cpsychology\u201d\u2014add up to quite a lot.\u00a0 She zaps the stage full of life and, if you never saw GUYS AND DOLLS before and wondered what all the hubbub was about, her performance will tell you why.\u00a0 She\u2019s astonishingly good.<\/p>\n
But wait, there\u2019s more.\u00a0 Equally as strong, if not as showy, is Christina Jimenez\u2019s Sarah Moore, the Save-A-Soul leader whose life changes when she falls in love with gambler Sky Masterson.\u00a0 Ms. Jimenez showcases a beautiful voice, angelic and yearning and powerful.\u00a0 Sarah is a tough part, wound up and tense, but it\u2019s the moment she becomes free with Sky, in Havana, that Ms. Jimenez really shows her stuff.\u00a0 Her \u201cIf I Were a Bell\u201d is beyond delightful, where she lets down her hair and, prodded by some Bacardi (a plot-point that doesn\u2019t age well), she becomes free and giddy.\u00a0 And gleefully (and believably) she falls in love. <\/p>\n
In so many productions of GUYS AND DOLLS, Sarah is usually played by a strong singer whose acting chops don\u2019t match the voice and, thus, she gets overshadowed by the more dazzling Runyon characters.\u00a0 Not here. Ms. Jimenez stands out in this production and gives Sarah her rightful due in the spotlight.\u00a0 Glorious. <\/p>\n
The leading males are also quite strong.\u00a0 Will Sobel glows with likability and is a terrific presence onstage as Sky Masterson; he also displays a marvelous, pitch-perfect singing voice.\u00a0 He seems a bit too baby-faced to play a notorious hard-core gambler like Sky, but the moment he duets with Ms. Jimenez\u2019s Sarah on \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll Know\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ve Never Been In Love Before,\u201d the audience is 100% on his side.\u00a0 Wonderful work.<\/p>\n
As for \u201cLuck Be a Lady,\u201d the show\u2019s most famous song, Mr. Sobel sings it well, but \u00a0the production number doesn\u2019t have the proper verve and drive that we are accustomed to; this has less to do with Mr. Sobel\u2019s rendition of the song than it does with the lackluster staging of it (there\u2019s little the cast can do in the tight space).\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Markus Blake is spot-on as Nathan Detroit, marvelously mugging and in total turmoil throughout.\u00a0 He works quite well with Ms. Vitalo-Berger\u2019s Adelaide, and the audience can\u2019t wait for their scenes together.\u00a0 \u201cSue Me,\u201d his Act 2 duet with Adelaide, is beautifully done and the most underrated song of the show.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Luis Graham steals the show as Nicely-Nicely, the nice-guy gambler who gets some of the musical\u2019s best songs, including \u201cFugue for Tinhorns\u201d and \u201cSit Down, You\u2019re Rockin\u2019 the Boat.\u201d\u00a0 As mentioned earlier, of all the large-scale songs in this production, the only one that really works is the gospelized \u201cSit Down, You\u2019re Rockin\u2019 the Boat,\u201d and much of its success is due to Mr. Graham\u2019s raucous rendition of it. <\/p>\n
Stephon Mikell Jr. as Benny Southstreet and Marco Rodriguez as Rusty Charlie offer great support to Mr. Graham\u2019s Nicely-Nicely.\u00a0 Dylan Lauricello fits right in as Harry the Horse, spitting out his gangsterish dialogue machine-gun fast, so perfect for the time period depicted here.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Carlos Santiz is a strong presence onstage as Lt. Brannigan, the police officer, but his performance is undermined by his lack of a proper uniform to set him apart from the gamblers. It gets really confusing and causes quite a bit of suspension of disbelief on the audience\u2019s part when we see Mr. Santiz dancing as a crapshooter right after we see him as a menacing police officer, and if you didn\u2019t know the show before, you would be incredibly confused by it here.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Robert Pelaia is a welcome dose of sanity as Arvide Abernathy, and he sings the thankless \u201cMore I Cannot Wish You\u201d quite well.\u00a0 Lauren Dykes makes the most of her role of General Cartwright, and Christy Adams has her moments as Angie the Ox. Irina Veltman rounds out the ensemble as Agatha.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
The Hot Box girls do well in their songs \u201cA Bushel and a Peck\u201d and \u201cTake Back Your Mink,\u201d and each one has her moment to shine: Lauren Dykes, Alexandra Pugliese, Emma Sobel and Christy Adams.\u00a0 Unfortunately, their \u201cA Bushel and a Peck\u201d was undermined by uninspiring costume choices, and watching them, we never really felt like we were in a nightclub.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
In an interesting MAD twist, each night a special guest star will be playing the part of Big Jule.\u00a0 During the performance I experienced, the fabulous Christian McLaurine portrayed the imposing gambler from Chicago. And even though the part was a relative walk-on, Mr. McLaurine became another standout.\u00a0 \u00a0(Other local luminaries playing this part in future performances include Jim Sorensen, Robert Boyd, Drew Eberhard, director Doug Buffaloe, and Karla Hartley; it will prove quite interesting to see how each of these talents tackle the role.)<\/p>\n
The small but mighty orchestra, performing upstage the whole show, is terrifically tight under the music direction of Xander McColley.\u00a0 They include conductor Mr. McColley on keyboards; Latoya McCormick on Keyboard 2; Alex Pasut on bass guitar; Julia Ford on reeds; Noah Rampmaier on trumpet; Alex Cabral on trombone; and Woody Bond on drums.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing better than a live orchestra, and Mr. McColley\u2019s gang proves it with this production.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Tech elements work fine, and the band only sometimes overwhelms the singers and their heavenly harmonies (Niomi Collard\u2019s sound design gets the job done).\u00a0 Mike Buckner\u2019s set design is minimal and serviceable for the limited Shimberg space (don\u2019t expect anything grandiose).\u00a0 Deb Lastinger\u2019s costumes work with the colorful gamblers, but lack with the aforementioned Hot Box Girls attire and the police officer\u2019s uniform (or lack thereof).\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Director Doug Buffaloe has the Herculean task of taking this beloved, iconic, BIG musical and fitting it into the tiny quarters of the Shimberg Playhouse.\u00a0 He directs the performances of his cast quite well, but the staging could have been even more inventive.\u00a0 For example, there are way too many moments when the cast just stands in a straight line.\u00a0 And that\u2019s a basic rule of directing: Unless you\u2019re staging A Chorus Line, please avoid boring straight lines.\u00a0 Mr. Buffaloe\u2019s choreography works sometimes, but oftentimes it seems quite loose and messy.\u00a0 But that\u2019s because so many bodies are moving in such a small space. He does best with the smaller, more intimate scenes, where we really feel the heartfelt connection between Sky and Sarah as well as Nathan and Adelaide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I love that MAD continues to be daring and tries something different by cramming this large-scale musical in such a small space, like trying to stuff a swordfish in a can of sardines.\u00a0 The moments of GUYS AND DOLLS that shine really shine, but other moments don\u2019t reach their necessary heights and the production itself sometimes feels incomplete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That said, it is GUYS AND DOLLS, one of the greatest musicals ever written, and with the fantastic leads paving the way, it\u2019s a very entertaining ride.\u00a0 The songs we love and remember\u2014\u201cFugue for Tinhorns,\u201d \u201cAdelaide\u2019s Lament,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve Never Been in Love Before,\u201d \u201cSit Down, You\u2019re Rockin\u2019 the Boat,\u201d and \u201cMarry the Man Today\u201d\u2014will keep you humming from today until next month.\u00a0 And with the outside world as crazy as it is, and the need for us to escape more important than ever, there is no better escapist fare than diving into Runyonland with GUYS AND DOLLS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mad Theatre\u2019s production of GUY AND DOLLS plays thru February 1, 2026, at the Shimberg Playhouse in the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Photo courtesy of Nathan Dougherty.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Reader Reviews<\/p>\n
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