Belfast Operatic Company’s production of Guys & Dolls at the Grand Opera House was easily one of my favourite shows I’ve seen at the theatre this year.
At its heart, the story is a collision of two completely different worlds, gambling and missionary work. The musical follows a group of notorious gamblers planning bets on a major horse race, with repentance being the last thing on their minds. However, while getting up to no good, they find themselves crossing paths with the local mission, led by Sergeant Sarah Brown. In comes renowned Sky Masterson who has a reputation for accepting a bet on absolutely anything! Love was definitely not on the horizon for him, but Guys and Dolls proves that two very different worlds can unexpectedly collide, albeit with the help of a whirlwind trip to Havana, and little bit of rum thrown in.
The high-energy musical numbers in the second half were amazing. For such a large cast and so many people on the stage the vocals were unreal. “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” is one of my favourite musical theatre numbers, and the audience last night seemed to agree. It created a real buzz in the theatre and earned some of the loudest applause of the night.
A huge shout out has to go to the two leading men. Dessie Havlin was outstanding as Sky Masterson, bringing effortless charm and confidence to the role while delivering a superb vocal performance. Alongside him, Greg Fox was excellent as Nathan Detroit, perfectly capturing the character’s humour, nervous energy, and heart.
The leading ladies were equally fabulous. Emiko Seawright was wonderfully lovable and bubbly as Miss Adelaide, stealing scene after scene with her comic timing, personality and fabulous dancing! Naomi Smyth gave a beautiful performance as Sarah Brown, balancing grace and sincerity while also showcasing a fantastic voice.
The entire cast, orchestra, and creative team deserve enormous praise for putting together such a polished and joyful production. For me its almost impossible to believe that this is an amateur production. This entire cast hold down careers, family life and honestly I don’t know how they do it, but time and time again thy pull it off amazingly. This was genuinely a special night at the theatre.
Guys & Dolls – Grand Opera House until Saturday 16th May – Book HERE
