The Cardiff Open Air Theatre Festival’s final adult production is in full swing with ‘Guys and Dolls’, bringing Broadway to Wales in this electrifying, toe-tapping good time. The Theatre Festival’s musical option brings something unique yet, as always, high-quality to the proceedings, making for another crowd-pleaser as the festival draws to a close. All of this year’s performances have been nothing short of wonderful, and this show is another high point in a series of successes.

‘Guys and Dolls’ follows two couples, the new love between Sky Masterson (Josh Lewis) and Sister Sarah (Elle Dance), and the long-time love between Nathan Detroit (Kristian Zgorzelski) and Miss Adelaide (Rhian Morwood). The core four are all impressive, with great chemistry, and each of them handle both the drama and the comedy with ease. And to boot, their renditions of the show’s songs are all very impressive. A favourite of mine was Dance and Morwood’s performance of ‘Marry the Man Today’, their unique vocal skillsets come together in an incredibly satisfying way. The people that make up show’s heart and soul are thoroughly convincing and undeniably talented.

The highlight of any musical is the songs, and the cast brings the iconic music of ‘Guys and Dolls’ to life with great performances across the board. The solo performances are natural standouts, but the songs with more of an ensemble really highlight just how well-done the production is, with creative choreography and a fun energy. When there’s singing and dancing, there’s never a dull moment, the atmosphere was very fun to be in.

The staging was full of little changes and quirks between scenes, such as a swivelling sign and a moving tunnel, that were subtle yet seamless, and effective at creating the atmosphere. There was even a level of audience immersion, with the ensemble walking around us in our seats and even interacting with a few lucky guests, which made me feel like I was very much part of the party. By the show’s conclusion, the audience were fully roped into the experience, the energy during ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat’ was incredible.

‘Guys and Dolls’ feels like the ultimate victory lap for another successful year of the Cardiff Open Air Theatre Festival. It is further proof of the high marker of quality that the festival has, and it fully shows off their ability to consistently create effective drama and great crowd-pleasers. With its spectacular show-stopping, all-singing, all-dancing, Broadway style, this is not one to be missed.