Guys & Dolls (Handa Opera) ★★★★

Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows. Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. 21 Mar – 20 Apr 2025.

Do you ever forget how much you like a show? Guys & Dolls has been burned into my brain over the years, so much so that I take it for granted. This show is fast, funny, and full of some of the best tunes in musical theatre. Now, blown up to Sydney Harbour scale, its colourful characters take on epic proportions.

I approached this embiggened production slightly wary, unsure how Guys & Dolls would work on such a large scale. Add to that the fact that I’ve seen so many productions of Guys & Dolls, ranging from school halls to West End blockbusters (and the groundbreaking, immersive 2023 Bridge Theatre, London production, which remains one of my all-time theatre highlights – I’m listening to the cast recording as I write this). Would this urban fable sink or swim on Sydney Harbour?

There is a simple charm to the rom-com complications, filled with twists and turns, bolstered by some sharp dialogue. Most musicals flounder with simplistic or lazy scripts, but Swerling and Burrows keep the script for Guys & Dolls tight and full of zingers. Sure, some of the humour has dated, the sexual politics are decidedly questionable, and some of the language feels peculiar to modern ears (all based on Damon Runyon’s short stories), but in the exaggerated space of Brian Thomson’s set, the show’s implausible plot feels right at home.

Angelina Thomson dazzles as the ditzy and lovable Miss Adelaide, a euphemistic “hot box dancer” with a perennial cold that may come from dancing every night in her underwear, or possibly from a psychosomatic reaction to the fact that she’s been engaged to her boyfriend for fourteen years. Thomson not only belts her tunes so the stars above can hear her, but her broad comedy also lands perfectly – it’s easy to read those big expressive eyes, even from the cheap(ish) seats.

Annie Aitken gets less to work with as the romantic lead, Sister Sarah Brown, but has fun when Sarah lets her hair down. Some nice vocal work too as the drunk Sarah slips into a more earthy register, rather than her prim & proper earlier tones. When Sister Sarah and Adelaide form an unlikely friendship, they become joyously unstoppable, asserting their own agency over the story. 

Bobby Fox is great as Adelaide’s no-good gambler boyfriend, Nathan Detroit, a sympathetic, lovable cad. Cody Simpson’s Sky Masterson makes a strong visual and vocal impact but lacks the megawatt charm needed to command a pack of unruly retrobates on such a big stage.

The real show-stealer is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Jason Arrow as Nicely-Nicely Johnson. One of the great musical theatre comedy roles, Arrow manages to sneak sly moments of extra humour into his scenes before blowing the metaphorical roof off the place with “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat” – the show’s best number. It’s worth the price of admission alone. They should have saved the customary fireworks for the song’s finale!

Director Shaun Rennie has played with the musical, adding some unique touches that keep things fresh. Lt Brannigan (Thomas Campbell), usually a one-note grumpy cop, gets instant laughs with a new speech impediment, as does General Cartwright (Naomi Livingston), who has become a rather randy revivalist. Some queer touches to Sarah and Sky’s visit to Cuba help push back against some of the more regressive, 1950s elements of the story. Not every original idea hits these high notes, however, with a weasely, coked-up Big Jule (Doron Chester) failing to intimidate or amuse.

The big numbers are where this production truly impresses. From Adelaide’s Hot Box numbers to the whole company performing “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat,” the stunning choreography of “Luck Be A Lady” (Kelley Abbey’s work brings the stage alive), and the simple comedy of “Adelaide’s Lament,” it’s clear a lot of attention has been paid to elevate the key songs.

Brian Thomson’s set boldly reimagines the New York locale, dominated by a gigantic “One Way” sign looming over the stage (it was wonderful to see the band performing over the action below) and an oversized yellow taxi cab. But the open-air environment can’t fully capture the underground gambling sequences. The ‘Save A Soul’ mission set, however, felt like an afterthought.

While Guys & Dolls lacks the epic dramatic scale of West Side Story or The Phantom of the Opera, it has an old-fashioned, comfort-food warmth that is a welcome panacea to some of the real-world chaos right now. It’s big, it’s silly, and it’s the kind of comedy that’s easy to sit back and enjoy – especially with a glass of bubbles in hand and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.