Guys and Dolls - London - August 26th 2006 (matinee and evening)

I just couldn't resist booking a trip to London for these 2 special shows. :-)
The cast was the same for matinee and evening so I'll do one review for both shows.

Nathan Detroit: Patrick Swayze
I can honestly say I'm really happy I got the chance to see him on stage again just 2 weeks after my last visit to Guys and Dolls. Really liked him in the part back then and I think he was even better this time. Looked very comfortable on stage and was very active throughout the whole show. I sometimes thought he'd start dancing around from the way he was running back and forth on stage. :-)
His voice seemed a little rough but that might have to do with him not being 100% fit again (apparently he was off sick for some days last week).
Loved his acting. He plays the part differently than the guys I've seen before which may be due to him being American. But I think he really fits into the part. Only thing I noticed after having seen him 3 times now: He tends to get his text wrong quite often... but then he always managed to carry on or change the text so no one would really notice the little slip up. That's a real pro if you ask me.
All in all an great performance and I'm looking forward to seeing him on stage again in October!

Miss Adelaide: Claire Sweeney
She's quite vigorous on stage compared to the 2 people I've seen in the part before. This may have to do with the fact that Patrick Swayze is so active on stage and she's acting next to him quite often throughout the show.
I'm not too impressed with her singing. She's got a nice voice but she doesn't carry that special something in her voice...

Sarah Brown: Kelly Price
I love her! She is just so cute on stage... totally authentic and believable in the part. And her voice is just beautiful. In my eyes she's THE newcomer of 2006!

Sky Masterson: Sebastien Torkia
And there goes my main reason for this very short trip to London. I just couldn't resist as this might have been my only chance to see Sebastien play Sky.
And what can I say? I was seriously impressed with his performance. The guy came on stage, said his first line and I though "Wow, that's it!". Once again a totally different take on the role. In my eyes Ewan was the "cool Sky" while Adam is more of the "charming Sky". Sebastien seemed to always hold a twinkle in his eyes while playing the part which made him appear rather cute from time to time. Never thought a cute Sky could work... but it does! And just one word about the look he gave Kelly (Sarah Brown) now and then: hot! :-)
I've never hear anyone sing "I've never been in love before" so beautifully. That song certainly sent shivers down my spine.
He deserves to play that part more often! In my eyes he'd even deserve to be promoted to first cast Sky once Adam leaves the cast. You could see and feel how much he was enjoying himself on stage. Thank you for making my trip to London SO worth it!

General Carthwright: Gaye Brown
Great performance. During the matinee she seemed to have some minor problems with a straw in the Havana scene.... the little thing just didn't want to stay inside the cup. ;-)

Big Jule: Nick Cavaliere
He appeared almost aggressive on stage.... I didn't notice that the last times I saw him in the show. Hilarious to watch him do that little dance during the crap game scene in act 2!

Arvide Abernathy: John Conroy
I love the way he sings "More I cannot wish you". A totally faultless performance!

Nicely Nicely Johnson: Steve Elias
To my surprise I was told before the matinee that Martyn Ellis had left the cast a week ago. I was a little disappointed as I always loved to see him as Nicely Nicely.
And in the beginning I wasn't impressed with Steve Elias' performance. There just seemed to be something missing and his voice sounded rather flat. But he certainly proved me wrong during "Sit down". Wow! Where did that voice come from?! During the evening show he looked a lot more secure on stage in general so I'd say: Give the man a few more shows to settle into the part and he will be totally brilliant!

Lt. Brannigan: Jo Servi
How can everyone on stage look him straight in the eye when he is looking back wide-eyed? I'd end up in fits of laughter. Great performance all in all!

Benny Southstreet: Spencer Stafford
Ok, I admit it: I was hoping to see Darren Carnall as Benny. But considering he's second cover the chances were rather low anyway.
Spencer Stafford made Benny look a lot more like a fool than the other people I've seen in the part. But the way he played it made his interpretation believable. I doubt anyone else could get away with playing the part like that but for Spencer it worked fine.
His singing was really good. The only weak point was his dancing. You could clearly notice that he's not the best dancer. He managed to turn people's attention to his singing and acting instead though. :)

Ensemble
I can't name the complete ensemble as there were some new faces in the cast and I didn't buy a programme this time. Ben Clare, for example, has left the cast as he's joining the cast of Spamalot.
Ashley Hale still doesn't quite fit in the Havana girl role.... don't get me wrong though... I love to see her on stage in this show. It's just that she doesn't look like a Havana girl at all. Darren Carnall once again proved that he is an outstanding dancer. Always so much fun to see him on stage!
The rest of the ensemble all did a great job as well. This musical really has an energetic cast which makes it so enjoyable to watch the show. :-)

So, to sum it all up: This definitely was a great day in London... my feet were hurting like hell in the evening and I almost fell asleep at the airport on Sunday while waiting for my flight back home... but who care's?! ;-)