Seeing San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Guys and Dolls,” playing only through this weekend, might include a bonus: visiting quaint downtown El Cajon, which is not nearly so far away in reality as it is in one’s mind. It’s easy to find, there’s plenty of free parking and a lot of restaurants are situated within walking distance. Though not as good as SDMT’s mounting of “The Full Monty” at North Park Theatre last year, “Guys and Dolls” might be one’s cup of tea, especially for fans of the Frank Loesser score, which includes “Luck Be a Lady,” “If I Were a Bell,” “I’ll Know (When My Love Comes Along)” and “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat.”
Virile matinee idol Robert J. Townsend (www.jillandrobert.com), a veteran of West Coast musicals and Broadway tours (most recently “Camelot”), returns to San Diego as the high-rolling crapshooter Sky Masterson, who falls in love with the virtuous Sarah Brown, a Salvation Army maiden. (Sounds like “Tannhauser” in New York, doesn’t it?) Amy Biedel, in great voice and as always pert and fetching, plays Sarah. Jamie Torcellini, remembered for Sancho in “Man of La Mancha,” returns to portray Nathan Detroit, who’s been engaged to Miss Adelaide (Terra Macleod), an exotic dancer, for 14 years.
If the thugs come off adorable, it’s because the musical is based on Damon Runyon characters.
To my ears, some of the singers were distressingly nasal and wide in their delivery. Perhaps an attempt at Big Apple speak/sing, perhaps a flaw in Larry Esau’s sound design, it was unpleasant indeed, and with a gazillion blackouts made Act I especially interminable.
The show fared best in the big ensemble numbers (the chorus boys and girls sound wonderful) and in quieter scenes between Townsend and Biedel, first when he takes her to Havana and gets her sloshed on numerous dulce de leches (“That’s how we should get children to drink their milk!”), and later, when they soberly fall in love. In light of Troy Magino’s ineffective direction elsewhere, the affecting nature of these two scenes might be due to the actors. The other bit of genuineness is between Biedel and San Diego’s legendary treasure Ole Kittleson, who portrays Sarah’s grandfather with warmth and a pure, lovely singing voice.
No matter how brash and New Yawk these characters seem, they must not become empty stereotypes without an underlay of real sincerity. That having been said, Joey Minnich scores as gambler Big Jule from Cicero, in part due to his diminutive stature, and the ever-reliable Ria Carey effectively portrays Salvation Army General Cartwright. The music is in the competent hands of musical director Don Le Master, who wields the stick over a 14-member pit orchestra.
Remaining performances at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Jan 31 to Feb. 2, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3 at East County Performing Arts Center, 210 E. Main St., El Cajon.
For tickets and information, visit www.sdmt.org or call (858) 560-5740.
