Guys and Dolls
at the Alexandra Theatre
Review by Terry Grimley

Michael Grandage's production of Frank Loesser's classic 1950 musical was a big hit on its London debut at the Donmar, and it's still looking pretty good.

In fact, it's worth seeing just for the brilliantly-realised Havana night club scene, which eclipsed even my memories of the famous 1980s National Theatre production.

It would be possible to imagine a more charismatic Sky Masterson than Nigel Harman, as well as one with a New York accent that sounded more lived-in, but he sings and dances creditably enough.

Miss Adelaide, the fading nightclub singer whose optimism is undimmed by a 14-year engagement, always seems to bring out the best in a certain kind of performer. That's certainly true here of Bonnie Langford, who impressed me as pretty much ideal.

And then there's a gorgeous performance by Lisa Stokke as the Salvation Army girl Sarah Brown, showing an assurance seemingly out of proportion to her previous experience. Her flakiness in that exceptional Havana scene would make the strongest men weak.

With good support from a cast including Joe McGann as Nathan Detroit and a nice Nicely Nicely Johnson from Christian Patterson (whose Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat is the evening's other showstopper – as it always should be), this will win many new friends for one of the great American musicals.

* Running time: Two hours, 50 minutes. Until January 6.