'Guys and Dolls' Is a Gamble At American Music Stage

American Music Stage, specializing in lavish musicals, has apparently decided there are only about seven of them worth staging. Why else would it be cycling back to a show it did in 2000? Granted, the show is "Guys and Dolls," the greatest musical from Broadway's golden era. And after successfully producing such contemporary shows as last year's "Aida" by Elton John and Tim Rice and "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" the year before, it is understandable that American Music Stage might wish to return to a traditional offering. But that doesn't explain why this show lacks flash, color and energy.

Poor Miss Adelaide (played by Jessica Zyontz), leader of the chorus at the Hot Box Club, has been engaged to hapless gambler Nathan Detroit (Dino Coppa) for 14 years. She is desperately trying to get him to the altar, but he is fixated on finding a spot for "the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York." Big-time gambler Sky Masterson (A.J. Ennis), meanwhile, is trying to win a bet by chasing Sarah Brown (Zehra Fazal), the self-described "mission doll" running a failing Salvation Army outpost. Sarah may not be making headway saving the souls of the colorful Damon Runyon-inspired characters hanging around Broadway, circa 1950, but this Sky starts falling for her.

With music from Frank Loesser, every song in "Guys and Dolls" is a hit. With a story by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, the characters are colorful, the plot is fun and the comedy holds up superbly 57 years after the show premiered. So what's the problem here?

It's possible the production was under-rehearsed opening night and will come together as performances continue. But there was a noticeable lack of energy at the debut, and most of the action onstage, including the dance choreography, had a tentative feel. A few familiar lines were missing, and one assumes the actors simply forgot them. The 17-piece orchestra sounded sloppy, with strings and brass occasionally sounding as if they were playing different songs.

The show does not look as though much preparation went into it. "Guys and Dolls" should sizzle with the spark and color of Broadway, but the lighting is flat, and the dominant color onstage is brown. There are no sets, just a murky backdrop that carries the names of Broadway shows, many of them from decades later than this show's time period. Some of the ladies' period costumes are colorful, but the men appear to have burrowed into the back of their own closets for outfits their significant others usually don't let them wear.

The star of the show, by dint of her energy, is Zyontz as Miss Adelaide. She squeezes out her dialogue and songs through Bronx-drenched squeaks, managing to be both funny and touching in "Adelaide's Lament." She ably leads the chorus girls in the nightclub numbers "Bushel and a Peck" and "Take Back Your Mink." And Zyontz skillfully blends fury and regret after Nathan's gambling hijinks postpone their wedding yet again in "Sue Me," the offbeat duet that is alternately heated and soft, sung with Coppa.

Coppa, who also starred as Nathan in the 2000 production, seemed to be coasting through the show opening night.

Fazal perfectly mixes innocence and steely resolve as Sarah, showcasing a lovely voice. Unfortunately, she is teamed with Ennis, miscast as Sky Masterson. With slushy diction rendering much of his dialogue incomprehensible, Ennis projects zero stage presence as the charismatic high roller. His operatic baritone nicely matches Fazal's soaring soprano in the moving ballad "I'll Know" but is much too formal for the freewheeling "Luck Be a Lady."

Maybe it will be better this weekend. Feel like gambling?

"Guys and Dolls" continues through May 27 at the Ernst Theater at Northern Virginia Community College, 8333 Little River Tpk., Annandale. Showtime is 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. This weekend's Sunday matinee is at 3 p.m., and the Sunday matinee on May 27 is at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, go tohttp://www.americanmusicstage.com.