Escapist entertainment has always been popular in times of crisis. While Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society's light-hearted revival of this post-war US classic is certainly enjoyable, it doesn't completely avoid trauma.
In a Broadway show about Broadway characters, there is a yearning for a simpler New York City. Frank Loesser's musical is heavy with nostalgia for a place that never existed. Following suit, designer John O'Donoghue has filled the Gaiety stage with an incongruous red-brick Manhattan; West 48th street somehow leading into West 49th, and crowds of comically-dressed gamblers and herds of Marilyn Monroe look-a-likes cavorting beneath a cluster of geometric skyscrapers. Against clever dice-face motifs, Noel McDonagh's production soon shakes off its uncertainties and eases into a number of showstoppers punctuated by some showgrinders.
Fugue for Tinhorns mounts the hunt for a safe-haunt as hustler Nathan Detroit bets swarthy sinner Sky Masterson (John Hurley) he can't bring a Salvation Army cutie to Havana. He can, of course. So it isn't until Nicky Drew's marvellously adenoidal performance of Adelaide's Lament that we get our first real surprise. Drew is an excellent performer, well paired with Garry Moutaine's Detroit, and their duelling duet Sue Me provides comic relief from an unsatisfying central couple.
Meanwhile Joseph Walsh settles into the part of Nicely-Nicely Johnson in good time for a rousing Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat, well supported by the company. Musicals may not be to everyone's taste, but Guys and Dolls offers enthusiastic chorus lines, copiousdance sequences and a galloping pace. In short, it's a safe bet.
