THEATER REVIEW : ‘Guys and Dolls’: It’s a Crapshoot

You’d think that a pedigreed reinvention of “Guys and Dolls,” such as the one that came to the Orange County Performing Arts Center last night, couldn’t possibly miss--and you’d be partially right.

Director Jerry Zaks’ much-awarded creation first splashed its Day-Glo colors all over Broadway in April, 1992. Seen during its previous stop at the Hollywood Pantages, the national company now in Costa Mesa was an authentic clone: a carefully reconstructed version of the original with only a few functional accommodations to the exigencies of touring. It lacked just one essential.

There was no quarrel with William Ivey Long’s richly colored, exaggerated costumes that gave the show a welcome comic-strip flair--or with the hot spectrum of set designer Tony Walton’s drops and Paul Gallo’s lighting.

The spirit of the Damon Runyon characters and stories on which this 1950 Frank Loesser musical is based lives on. The book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling betrays some forgivable creakiness, but this musical isn’t about believability; it’s about nostalgic imagination and remembered tunes.

To quote one of the show’s producers, what plot boasts “four key parts, including two romances and laughs?” To say nothing of that “oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York.” And who sanely could object to such great Loesser tunes as Sky Masterson’s “Luck Be a Lady,” “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” “My Time of Day,” Miss Adelaide’s sneezy “Adelaide’s Lament” and the smashing mock striptease of “Take Back Your Mink”?

Crowd- and ear-pleasers all, as are Detroit and Adelaide’s playful “Sue Me” and the happy ending.

At the Pantages, Zaks’ pacing throbbed. Christopher Chadman’s choreography, if not consistent, sizzled during “The Crapshooters’ Dance,” “Take Back Your Mink” and the closing numbers. True to the zealous and inspired orchestrations of George Bassman, Ted Royal and Michael Starobin, the band was lively under musical director Randy Booth’s baton. This production is not a 1990s rip-off of the 1950 original but homage to it. So what, you ask, is the problem?

Soul. This version has none. And isn’t that precisely what defines a clone? The reasons seemed to lie in the casting. It was not a matter of comparing the Broadway performances to these so much as wishing that the principals--David Garrison as Detroit, Richard Muenz as Masterson, Lorna Luft as Adelaide and Patricia Ben Peterson as Sarah Brown--had been generating genuine electricity.

The wiry Garrison’s Detroit physically harked back more to the 1950 original played by Sam Levene than to Nathan Lane who played the role on Broadway last year. But Garrison didn’t come across down, dirty or gritty; one found his amiable New York gangster surprisingly bloodless and almost genteel.

Luft’s alluringly sexy and squealy Adelaide delivered the goods in style when she removed the mink. But the grinding and bumping and nasal naivete felt slightly predigested. Neither she nor Garrison managed the kind of exhilarating moments that elevate a performance to the rank of star quality.

Muenz and Ben Peterson weren’t even contenders. He’s a handsome hunk but a puppy-dog Masterson with a decent voice, little danger and no teeth. She played Sarah pretty much by the book, which means without much persuasiveness or passion and, at times, mercilessly pushing the notes.

And there’s the rub: beautiful package, splashy wrapping, unimpeachable music, fast pace and four principals who couldn’t quite get the bonfire going.

Cheers to MacIntyre Dixon as Arvide Abernathy for his rendition of “More I Cannot Wish You” and to Kevin Ligon’s Nicely-Nicely, who rocked this boat with “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and other nice Nicely tidbits.

By show’s end, some of the production’s juices finally started flowing, but it was hardly soon enough. No, you won’t be sorry you went, but considering all the attention and acclaim that attended the production in New York, you very well may walk out wondering what it was that you missed.

* “Guys and Dolls,” the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, through Jan. 1. $19 to $45. (714) 556-2787. Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes.

David Garrison: Nathan Detroit

Lorna Luft: Miss Adelaide

Richard Muenz: Sky Masterson

Patricia Ben Peterson: Sarah Brown

Kevin Ligon: Nicely-Nicely Johnson

A presentation of ATP/Dodger, Roger Berlind, Kardana Productions, Tom Mallow and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Executive producer: George MacPherson. Associate producers: Playhouse Square Center, David B. Brode, TV Asahi. Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser. Book: Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows. Director: Jerry Zaks.