‘Guys & Dolls’ — Lyric Stage and the Turtle Creek Chorale (Moody)

Photos by Kris Ikejiri

—Wayne Lee Gay

Damon Runyon mined the foibles and misadventures of New York's mid-century Midtown demimonde in his brilliant short stories—and in 1950, composer Frank Loesser (with lyricist Jo Swerling, and a book by Swerling and Abe Burrows) transformed those tales of petty criminals and their camp-followers into the hit Broadway musical Guys & Dolls.

This weekend at Moody Performance Hall, seventy-five years after the triumphant debut of this classic, Lyric Stage with the Turtle Creek Chorale presents a revival worthy of the work's comic and musical genius.

Dramatically, Guys & Dolls is a tad formulaic, with amusing but predictable dilemmas and outcomes for loveably flawed characters. Musically, it’s a masterpiece of momentum, matching some of the cleverest lyrics ever written for Broadway with one unforgettable, inimitable tune after another. While sugar-coating American urban life at the middle of the twentieth century, Guys & Dolls captures the energy of that time and place in a way that still appeals to the heart and the funny bone.

The magic of Guys & Dolls comes from the innocently complex characters who inhabit these not-so-mean streets. Abigail Bensman gives an appropriately feisty rendition of Sarah Brown, a prudish urban missionary determined to save the souls of the city, every one of them. Opposite Bensman as the streetwise gambler Sky Masterson, Michael Leadbetter brings a gorgeous lyric baritone into play.

B.J. Cleveland applies an appealing nervous energy as the constantly flummoxed gambler and “fixer” Nathan Detroit, while (as his perpetually disappointed fiancée) Catherine Carpenter Cox brings a combination of worldliness, wide-eyed innocence, touching vulnerability, and a delightfully fake northeastern accent to the wonderful role of Miss Adelaide.

But the real show-stopping action, the deliciously irreverent "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat," belongs utterly to Dylan Markey (playing small-time hood Nicely-Nicely Johnson) who sings this rouser with a crowd-thrilling energy that’s neatly and noisily backed up by the entire ensemble.

Subtle Hopper-inspired projections, minimal sets, and the almost motionless black-clad singers of the TCC provide a strong visual foundation. Tricia Guenther gives the cast members wonderfully noisy, colorful costumes, while director Michael Serrecchia and choreographer Kelly McCain create a constant chaotic swirl in front. The particularly fine dance ensemble adds a whole layer to the show's energy.

In an era when reduced orchestras and synthetic sound have crept into the orchestra pit, Lyric Stage continues to bring the magic of a real acoustic orchestra to its productions, in this case conducted with a strong sense of musical impetus by Sean Baugh. Amplification is occasionally out of balance; the intimate 750-seat Moody Performance Hall was designed for non-amplified performance, but is otherwise a perfect setting for this beautiful revival of one of the monuments of American musical theater.

WHEN: August 15-17, 2025
WHERE: Moody Performance Hall, Dallas Arts District
WEB: lyricstage.org