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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, March 7 Willow Wind students raise money for water Motorist who died Thursday was local craftsman Famed 'Star Trek' producer Harve Bennett dies in Medford Jacksonville plans to buy more Lost Creek Lake water Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, March 7 Emergency services, March 6 Arkansas man arrested for robbery in Medford Convicted rapist gets life without parole Learn to protect yourself in free class on identity theft Politics and Elections Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out Friday Brown's inauguration brings hope to local lawmakers Education Willow Wind students raise money for water District considers options to keep school tracks open, safe Ashland School District learns why its anti-bullying rating was low Ashland district rethinks transfer approval process MSD to save taxpayers nearly $10.5 million by refinancing Environment Catastrophic wildfires expected in Southern Oregon this summer The new normal under climate change? 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Mangino: Pennsylvania officials battle over possibility of rare execution Michael Gerson: Negotiating from weakness George Will: Stopping the IRS Dana Milbank: Netanyahu's fighting words Guest Opinions GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Guest Opinion: Don't overregulate Oregon's hemp industry Guest Opinion: Predatory banking practices bilk citizens Guest Opinion: Is less education the answer? Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Airy mousse rivals ease of pudding from a box Dr. Murray Feingold: Cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to help hoarders Dr. Jeff Hersh: Gallstones affect 25 percent of American women Barbara Presnell: How are you since your husband retired? Fishing Report: Friday, March 6 Food Community blog: Airy mousse rivals ease of pudding from a box Page Onorato: Please don’t take my Goo Goo Clusters away Season Stepp: Celebrate Pi Day with these tasty pie recipes Tammy Kelly: Bring back the potatoes Pantry pride Home and Garden Dear Monty: Home seller seeks to start bidding war Paul Rogers: Looking for signs of new life Home Help: Enhance your home-office experience Specialty painting adds wow to your walls Dear Monty: Home seller questions agent ethics Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to help hoarders Dr. Jeff Hersh: Gallstones affect 25 percent of American women Health Watch: Get prepped for spring break HealthStyle: Marriage care and maintenance Community blog: How I Became Radical: The Power of Acceptance Hiking Biking Faith More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Religion News: Pope makes surprise shantytown visit Milestones and Achievements Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer New arrivals: Sunday, Feb. 8 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Live Music in Local Clubs Darrin Wayne steps to the plate at Rising Stars Alice DiMicele plays the Unitarian Fellowship Southern Oregon University Wind Ensemble to present 'All American' Theater TMTO's 'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight Brava! Opera presents classic Mozart and Poulenc Review: 'Fingersmith' a twisting thriller with love TMTO presents 'Bye Bye Birdie' 'Guys and Dolls' a sure bet for dazzling entertainment Music ZEPDRIX! at the Historic Ashland Armory The Bee Eaters play Headwaters Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays the Craterian Theater Live Music in Local Clubs Darrin Wayne steps to the plate at Rising Stars Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Third Fridays showcases local artists Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show Dining Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Great Outdoor Grill offers healthful options Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 Saigon Xich Lo Vietnamese cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state ... Famed 'Star Trek' producer Harve Bennett dies in Medford ... Jacksonville plans to buy more Lost Creek Lake water ... Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state ... Famed 'Star Trek' producer Harve Bennett dies in Medford ... Jacksonville plans to buy more Lost Creek Lake water ... OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 'Guys and Dolls' a sure bet for dazzling entertainment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 2, 2015 @ 6:14 pm By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 2, 2015 @ 6:14 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The hustlers of “Guys and Dolls” live in a world where the stakes are high, the streets are mean, and the hearts are gold. In the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's rollicking new production, which opened Saturday night, director Mary Zimmerman and company nail that Runyonesque duality. High-rolling Sky Masterson (Jeremy Peter Johnson) is a bachelor who'll bet on anything. Nathan Detroit (Rodney Gardiner), who runs the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York, is unable to pull the trigger on the nuptials after 14 years of being engaged to Miss Adelaide (Robin Goodrin Nordli), a burlesque dancer at the Hot Box. When Nathan bets Sky that he can't take a doll of Nathan's choice to Havana for dinner (read: seduction), Nathan picks Sarah Brown (Kate Hurster), a straight-laced doll from the Salvation Army-like Save-A-Soul Mission. He's confident. But Adelaide can't wait forever, as Nordli explains in "Miss Adelaide's Lament." What's more, Nathan has run out of places to hold the big game due to heat from Lt. Brannigan (Robert Vincent Frank). The only option is a garage where the owner demands a deposit of $1,000.   With Frank Loesser's songs perfectly integrated into Jo Swerling and Abe Burrow's book based on Damon Runyon stories, “Guys and Dolls” has been called the perfect musical. Opening in 1950 and running for 1,200 performances, it epitomizes the best of Golden-Age, post-"Oklahoma,” pre-Sondheim Broadway. The OSF's Bowmer is half the size of many Broadway theaters, and things are to that scale. Orchestrator Doug Peck has given the score a smart jazz treatment, and eight musicians play with swanky, Big Apple flair. Daniel Pelzig's choreography helps develop the characters rather than merely dazzling us. Memorable moments include a chorus line of comely dolls and Nicely-Nicely Johnson (played by the hefty Daniel T. Parker) bouncing around as if he had wings on his feet. The revival-tent fervor of "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" almost blows off the Bowmer's roof. “The Oldest Established” is a paean to a Broadway before both its decline and later re-purposing as a tourist magnet. Zimmerman keeps the focus on a fairy-tale sensibility in which the characters must be transformed. With a Tony-winning adaptation of Ovid's "Metamorphoses" on her resume, Zimmerman, who directed the OSF's 2012 "The White Snake," is a specialist in bringing dramatic transformations to vivid life. “If I Were a Bell” marks the opening of pious Sarah's heart to adult love after Sky buys her several “Cuban milkshakes” made with Bacardi in Havana, and she realizes she's having fun for the first time in her life. The song includes sly, 1950s sexual innuendo. Returning to the streets of New York at  4 a.m. , his favorite time of day, Sky realizes Sarah is the only woman he's ever wanted to share it with in “My Time of Day.” ("When the smell of the rain-washed pavement /  Comes up clean, and fresh, and cold /  And the street lamp light / Fills the gutter with gold"). As a Runyon character might say, "It is more than somewhat unlikely that youse will find lyrics of such beyooty in the effects-driven shows that today are enjoying great popularity." Gardiner's quick-witted Nathan always has another trick up his sleeve. Johnson's Sky is a cynic with a heart of gold. Nordli's love/frustration with Nathan is palpable. Hurster makes us believe Sarah's transformation is inevitable. Big Jule, a hoot as played by Richard Elmore, is mock-scary as he insists on shooting craps on credit, with his own invisible dice, whose special pips only he can see. Elmore is a master (as is Tony DeBruno playing Harry the Horse) of Runyonese, a mashup of tough-guy street-talk and faux pomposity, delivered in the present tense. Miss Adelaide is Cinderella, Sarah is Sleeping Beauty, and Nathan and Sky are two very lucky Prince Charmings. All these guys and dolls really need is love. As you leave, the stars are a little brighter, and there's a spring in your step. Reach Medford freelance writer Bill Varble at [email protected]. By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 2, 2015 @ 6:14 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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