Luck be a lady with me...

Early in August I was trolling around Goldstar looking at what fun could be had at discount prices.  I was thrilled to find half-price tickets to the Wolftrap production of Guys and Dolls. The Wolftrap Foundation for the Performing Arts puts on some of my favorite summertime activities.  It's primary locale, Filene Center, is an outdoor amphitheater with both Pavilion and lawn seating.  Lawn seats for most performances can be had for $25 or less and it doesn't hurt that it's 10 minutes from our house.  We try to get there at least once every summer, more frequently if possible. Since we hadn't been yet this year, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  So we scored two tickets and decided to make a date night out of it.

The show was adorable.  Wolftrap doesn't attract the big names in musical theater like the Kennedy Center, but they still put on a solid production.  With four "lead" roles and a number of heavy supporting roles, this really is a company show.  The woman who played Adelaide played up the "dame" quality of her character very well.  Nathan Detroit was the perfect gambler, relishing the underbelly of New York life.  But the standout for me was the guy who played Sky Masterson.  Reading his bio, we found that he'd played Jean Valjean in Les Mis on Broadway.  This role requires a big, rich voice with the simultaneous ability to be sweet and tender.  He brought the same qualities to Sky.  Tender and warm in one moment singing with Miss Sarah and brash and saucy while chastising Lady Luck in "Luck Be a Lady."

I loved the shows rendition of "Luck Be a Lady", probably because it's the version with which I am most familiar.  B, on the other hand, disliked it totally.  He's a fan of the Sinatra version. In the show, Sky scolds Lady Luck for her past misdeeds, while the Old Blue Eyes version sounds more like he's out to seduce her.  Both are exceptional versions of the song, but our preferences were clear from the opening line.

It was a great show.  Solidly cast, funny and charming.  Even the venue was great.  The only downside to our otherwise lovely datenight, was the older gentleman sitting to my left who insisted on signing along the entire first act.  And I think he was a little hard of hearing, because he didn't do it quietly, under his breath. He might as well have been on stage.  Thankfully, there were some empty seats in the same section that we took up to enjoy the second act in blessed silence.

A view of the stage during intermission