The Hannon Theater Company's adaptation of "Guys and Dolls" reflects a tremendous amount of work on the part of the actors and actresses, the directors and production staff, the orchestra, and the remainder of the crew. This musical is not an easy one to produce at this level. However, they did an excellent job at taking us back to the corruption in New York in the early twentieth century. This musical dealt with the dichotomy between organized crime in New York and organized religion during this era. There is a sharp contrast between the gangsters whose life is based on gambling and the missionaries whose goal was to save sinners and encourage them to repent. The simplistic themes of being a saint versus a sinner gets intermixed with love and trust. Despite having recently met, it takes a while for the love-struck couple, Sky and Sarah, to trust each other. Each has to come to terms with his/her own soul searching, and true love ultimately prevails. Similarly, Nathan and Adelaide, although having been in a relationship for many years, come to terms with each other and discover love and commitment. The gangsters in the musical, being avid gamblers, ultimately learn that love is the most sacred gamble of them all. .
Given the complexities of combining plot with singing and the orchestra, I think the cast did a good job. It is not easy for Southern Californian adolescents to produce New York accents. In fact, it is not easy for anyone to produce a genuine New York accent. As a result, the actors stayed in character and were convincing. I was impressed by how some of the actors are great singers. Emma Woodman, who played Sarah has a really great voice. I had some difficulty understanding her enunciation in her speaking roles in the beginning, which I attribute possibly to nerves. She definitely needs to speak slower. However, when she began to sing, I enjoyed her performance. Although in a more minor performance, I found Tyler Konkal, who played Benny Southstreet, to have an excellent singing voice as well.
