In nearly every performance, a real bettor in the audience will subconsciously lean forward, whispering "Seven come eleven" under their breath. Security has been known to watch for people trying to actually throw dice. But more charmingly, the actors often listen to the audience’s gasps.
Last night, I caught the latest revival of at the renovated Nederlander Theatre. And since this is Off The Record , let’s skip the press release fluff and talk about what actually happened on that stage. Live on Broadway - Guys and Dolls - Off The Record
No discussion of Guys and Dolls live on Broadway is complete without the crap game. In the second act, the stage transforms into a subterranean sewer for the floating crap game. This is the show's heartbeat. In nearly every performance, a real bettor in
That vulnerability is lost on a cast album. The album is the souvenir ; the live performance is the event . Last night, I caught the latest revival of
as Sky Masterson: Gallagher brings a suave, baritone richness to "Luck Be a Lady" and "My Time of Day".
There is a famous (though unverified) off-the-record story from a 1990s revival where the actor playing Nicely-Nicely Johnson was so exhausted during a two-show day that he sang "Rockin’ the Boat" in the wrong key for eight bars. The orchestra, made of New York’s finest session musicians, smoothly modulated to meet him. The audience never knew—except for the one New York Times critic who was, by accident, not paying attention. That criminal act of musical generosity saved the show, and nobody reviewed it.