MARIA DUARTE is swept along by the cocky self-belief of a ping-pong hustler in a surprisingly violent drama
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A tasty festive feast
PAUL FOLEY recommends a heartwarming production of Guys and Dolls in Manchester
STEVE ANDREW recommends a lively and often moving guide to once vibrant spaces that have been abandoned or swept away
GEOFF BOTTOMS appreciates the local touch brought to a production of Dickens’s perennial classic
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a production whose design and cartoonish acting overwhelms the close scrutiny of characters
SUSAN DARLINGTON enjoys the raucous familiarity of a traditional topsy-turvy pantomime
RON JACOBS introduces the latest novel by the best writer of US working-class fiction writing today
Guys and Dolls
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
IT'S that time of the year, when the grim reality of life in Tory Britain seems even bleaker and, if you need something magical to blow away the festive blues, then this production of Guys and Dolls could provide it.
Take a bunch of great actors, add some song, a handful of smart, cheeky lyrics, a good dollop of fabulous jazz musicians and a pinch of va-va-voom and, hey presto. You get two hours of seasonal, heartwarming good cheer. Unless, of course, you are Scrooge or a Tory minister.
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