Lady Luck Smiles on ‘Guys and Dolls’

About 150 guys and dolls turned up for a cast party to celebrate the opening of “Guys and Dolls,” the Tony Award-winning revival of the Broadway musical, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

The post-performance gala, staged by the center’s board of directors and underwritten by John and Donna Crean, was held Tuesday at Randell’s jazz club in Santa Ana. Party-goers listened to live jazz performed by Paul Carman and the ESP band, sampled a buffet loaded with pastas and desserts and chatted with the show’s stars.

Wheeler Dealer

David Garrison, who plays manic gambler Nathan Detroit, turned up in a baseball cap and black leather jacket singing the praises of the center.

“It’s a big but friendly place,” said Garrison, who is more accustomed to the smaller, intimate theaters on Broadway.

For the Broadway veteran and Tony Award nominee, the role of Detroit is “one of the most exhausting roles I’ve ever played.”

“Nathan is very much the engine that drives the story of ‘Guys and Dolls.’ He’s constantly wheeling and dealing. At the same time he’s reacting to everything around him. It’s a juggling act to keep the energy going. By the end of the show I’m so exhausted it’s like, ‘Get me a nurse.’ ”

This was not the first time Garrison has shared the stage with actress Lorna Luft, the daughter of Judy Garland who plays opposite Garrison in the role of Miss Adelaide. (Luft could not attend the party.)

“I was in ‘Snoopy’--I played the dog. She was taking over the role of Peppermint Patty, so we were on stage together one night. We’ve also done a recording of ‘Girl Crazy.’ But this is the first time we’ve enjoyed a long run together.” Garrison will continue touring in the role for two months.

Feel-Good Show

The musical put guests in a happy mood.

“I loved it--I’ve been on a kick where I’ve seen all these shows like ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ about love and magic,” said Sharon Jaquith, trustee of the Leo Freedman Foundation, which recently pledged $1 million over five years to the center.

“People love revivals. The old musicals take you back to a different, simpler place and time,” she said.

Even those who had seen the play on Broadway were impressed:

“I saw the play in New York a year ago and thought this one compared favorably if not better,” said Tom Tomlinson, executive director of the center. “Lorna Luft did such a good job with her character. She owned Adelaide.”

“Guys and Dolls” will continue its run at the center through Jan. 1.

Other faces in the crowd included: Bob Divine, Lisa Hirsch, Mark Johnson, Victor Landsberg, Janet Lind, John Morris, Michael Noonan, Marlene Short, Edward Sondker, Wolf Stern, Tim Strader, Tim Weiss and Susan Wolf McCauley.