9/10. Go for the crap game. Stay for the hot dogs. Bring a handkerchief for "More I Cannot Wish You."
Hargrove has tuned this machine to run on gritty, real human desperation rather than golden-age polish. When the entire company launches into the final reprise of "Guys and Dolls," with the neon sign of the Save-a-Soul Mission flickering behind them, you realize something: We aren’t watching a story about gamblers and missionaries. We are watching a story about people who are terrified of losing, learning how to double down on love. Live on Broadway - Guys and Dolls - Off The Record
April 17, 2026 By: Lena M. Rosenthal, Senior Theater Correspondent Bring a handkerchief for "More I Cannot Wish You
You’ve heard the rumor that they cast a dramatic actor as Nathan Detroit? True. Leo Vance (known for a heartbreaking turn in an Off-Broadway Death of a Salesman ) plays the perpetually engaged hustler. Critics were skeptical. But Vance plays Nathan not as a lovable schlub, but as a man exhausted by his own cons. His "Sue Me" is less a duet and more a panic attack set to a polka beat. It’s weird. It’s wonderful. April 17, 2026 By: Lena M
Meanwhile, as Sky Masterson, newcomer has the swagger of a young Brando and the vocal pipes of a Sinatra tribute artist who actually understands jazz. When he sings "Luck Be a Lady," the casino chips on the set’s second floor literally vibrate. (That’s a sound design trick, but I’m choosing to believe it’s magic.)
This revival, directed by Sam Hargrove (fresh off his edgy Cabaret reimagining), promised a "grittier, funnier, more dangerous Broadway." The marketing posters featured a crumpled fedora and a pair of fishnet stockings lying on a craps table. Intriguing.