October 26, 2022 By Roy Harris
When “Guys and Dolls” opens this Friday for the first show in its two-weekend run on Hingham Town Hall’s Sanborn Auditorium stage, expect more than the classic story of ‘40s-era New York gamblers and the gals they love. Hingham Civic Music Theatre has combined an inspired cast, and band members from around the South Shore, to recreate the feel of the Broadway smash-hit that won the 1951 best-musical Tony Award.
Admittedly, I am biased. For I play the role of the detective who tries—with scant success—to keep crapshooters like Nathan Detroit (Plymouth’s Brendan Smith) and Sky Masterson (Boston’s Rylan Vachon) in line. Not to mention gamblers Nicely-Nicely Johnson, played by Rockland’s Bonnie Gardner, and a fellow just called Big Jule, who claims to be from "East Cicero"—but, who really hails from good old Hingham, under the name of Joel Leonard. (All right, I mentioned ‘em!)
Even this hard-boiled cop—call me Lt. Brannigan—has been wowed by the delightful singing of Frank Loesser love songs like “If I Were a Bell,” “I’ll Know” and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before.” They’re sung by Sky, and by “Mission doll” Sarah Brown (who in fact is another Sarah, but with no “h”: Hingham’s Sara Camden Daly.) That’s along with jocular numbers like “Sue Me,” “Take Back Your Mink,” “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” Then there’s “Adelaide’s Lament,” sung movingly by the lovelorn Hot Box Club dancer Miss Adelaide, Nathan Detroit’s fiancé (of 14 years) played by true songbird Cynthia Krebs Lee, of Duxbury. And the lovely “More I Cannot Wish You,” sung by Milton’s Jim Foster.
Also getting credit for the wonderfulness of the show: veteran director Steve Dooner, of Weymouth, who teaches English and theater at Quincy College when he’s not directing (and also playing one of the “guys.") Music director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth, will be at the piano.
Now for the facts—just the facts: “Guys and Dolls” plays Friday and Saturday (Oct. 28 and 29) at 7:30 p.m. It closes the next Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 5 and 6) with the Saturday show at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday being a 2 p.m. matinee. (A previous story on this show ran last week.)
Tickets’ll cost ya. But not that much: General admission is $25, and $20 for seniors and students. There’s group pricing available. And it’s all spelled out at HCMT.org, where you can also buy your tickets.
Come see this one...or Lt. Brannigan’ll haul ya in!
Roy Harris is a Hingham writer who began appearing in Hingham Civic Music Theatre shows with 2003’s “Damn Yankees,” where he sold his soul to the devil as ”Old Joe Boyd."