Steve On Broadway (SOB)

SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #19 - Guys And Dolls

SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #19 - Guys And Dolls (2005, Piccadilly Theatre, London, United Kingdom)

Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties.

With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties.

After this year's lackluster Broadway revival, don't believe for a minute the prevailing theory out there that no new incarnation of Frank Loesser's beloved Guys And Dolls could ever top the Great White Way’s celebrated 1992 incarnation. Unfortunately for Broadway audiences, that superior sexy mounting from Michael Grandage in London never materialized stateside as planned.

By the time I saw this West End hit, Guys And Dolls already ranked as one of my all-time favorite tuners. Yet never before had I been so thoroughly captivated by Loesser's inherent wit, charm and music as much as I was via Grandage’s sparkling staging. Certainly, the star power of Ewan McGregor further illuminated his stellar take on Sky Masterson, complete with Brooklyn accent and heavenly singing voice.

Thanks to Rob Ashford’s enthralling choreography, McGregor also demonstrated a charismatic gift for dance as well. As the token American in the production, Jane Krakowski was delightfully ditzy and charming as Miss Adelaide. British thespians Douglas Hodge (soon to make his Broadway debut in La Cage Aux Folles ) and Jenna Russell worked magic as Nathan Detroit and Sarah Brown, respectively. The four actors together transformed Grandage’s exhilaratingly fresh take into something truly enchanting.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for this performance.

Labels: Douglas Hodge, Ewan McGregor, Frank Loesser, Guys And Dolls, Jane Kraskowski, Jenna Russell, London, Michael Grandage, Musical, Revival, Rob Ashford, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, December 09, 2009