Guys and Dolls in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Author: - Arts Correspondent, Weekend Post

Star cast for G&S‘s ‘Guys and Dolls‘

- Arts Correspondent

Port Elizabeth‘s G&S Society has assembled a stellar cast for its production of the musical fable of Broadway‘s Guys and Dolls, which opens at the Savoy Theatre early in May.

With director Robin Williams, choreographer Candice Johnstone and musical director Shawn Lyon heading up a formidable team, there‘s both older and youthful experience and talent, with some familiar names in the cast and technical credits listings.

The show, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, is one of the quintessential musical comedies with some memorable songs – probably most notably Luck be a Lady which Frank Sinatra turned into a chart-topper. There‘s also Guys and Dolls, recorded by Sinatra and Dean Martin, Sit Down You‘re Rocking the Boat, which Sammy Davis Jnr turned into hit, along with A Bushel and a Peck which was a Doris Day classic.

Guys and Dolls was taken to a global scale when it was turned into a movie in 1955 starring the famous “Rat Pack” of Sinatra, Martin and Davis Jnr, and joining this cast was the inimitable Marlon Brando who played Sky Masterson.

One of the more famous revivals was the 1992 Broadway version starring Peter Gallagher, Faith Prince, Nathan Lane and Josie de Guzman which ran for 1143 performances.

The 2005 West End revival with Ewan McGregor as Masterson opened at London‘s Piccadilly Theatre in June and closed in April 2007.

In the G&S show Paul Leonard – seen in the society‘s critically-acclaimed production of Footloose last year – will take the role of Masterson while Leslie Speyers, returning to a major G&S production after some absence, plays the comic lead Nathan Detroit.

Speyers plays opposite Vanessa Grebe as Miss Adelaide while Kristle van Niekerk plays Sergeant Sarah Brown of the Salvation Army Mission.

Supporting roles are filled by Richard Vorster, the lead in Footloose, along with Andile Magxaki, Hugh Austin and Jeffrey Socia. They are backed up by a large ensemble of singers, dancers and actors. Williams has an impressive record of award-winning shows including Annie Get Your Gun, Evita, Chicago and Sweet Charity.

The show opens on May 9 at the Savoy Theatre with booking at Computicket.

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