A gamble? This is a safe bet thanks to its ace star
HE may have been dealt a good hand but this guy’s success is certainly no stroke of luck. The hugely talented Richard Fleeshman has come a long way from the Corrie cobbles where he cut his teeth as an actor, and has since starred in countless successful theatre productions. He’s played Sam in both the West End and Broadway production of Ghost – and, if that wasn’t enough, he’s even toured with Elton John.
It seems this man has more than a few aces up his sleeve.
In his latest roll of the dice, Fleeshman takes on the role of slick gambler Sky Masterson – so named due to the sky-high bets he places – in the touring production of Guys and Dolls.
‘I’m not a very good gambler,’ says Fleeshman. ‘Sky is famed for having nerves of steel. I’m a red and black guy at the roulette table. I’ll put on like twenty quid and if I lose it, I’m gone.’
Despite his reservations about gambling, the odd flutter has paid off: ‘I was in a casino just a few weeks ago with some of the cast – we went to the casino purely because it was the only place serving food and we were quite drunk,’ he laughs. ‘And I just walked up and put some cash on red and it came in.’
Drinks on him then? ‘No sod that, I won it, it’s mine fair and square,’ he quips.
Guys and Dolls tells the story of the 1920’s New York underworld and the interesting characters who’d gamble their granny to make a quick buck.
Sky Masterson was one such gambler. He’s a cocky, fly guy who thinks he’s invincible on the gambling scene but a chink appears in his armour when he falls for Sarah, head of the save-a-soul mission.
‘Sky has his moments of being incredibly arrogant,’ says Richard, ‘and it’s lovely to get the chance to get away with stuff you’d never be able to do in real life. He’s so self-confident and there is something nice about putting that jacket on every night and thinking, I can’t have any insecurities because, he doesn’t. It’s quite nice to have that shield.’
The show has been running for a whopping 65 years and there was also a film made in 1955 starring Marlon Brando as Fleeshman’s character and Frank Sinatra as betting man Nathan Detroit.
It also boasts some flashy musical numbers such as Luck Be a Lady, I’ll Know and Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat.
‘Essentially it’s about love and about life and the pursuit of happiness. People leave standing a little bit taller and with a smile on their face and I guess that’s why it’s been running for 65 years,’ says Fleeshman.
‘I’d never seen it before I went to see this production in London, and I fell in love with it. I thought the characters were so beautifully written and it has a really strong book. There are long sections of 20 minutes or so where there is just speaking with no music – it’s rare to be able to hold an audience that long in a musical.’
This touring production has a winning cast who are all old hands at this theatre business. Anna O’Byrne plays Fleeshman’s love interest, Sarah Brown, and Maxwell Caulfield and Louise Dearman take on the roles of hilarious bickering couple Nathan Detroit and Miss Adeleide.
Dearman especially excels herself with her quick quips and comic timing, receiving the biggest laughs of the night. Her chemistry with Caulfield was a delight to watch and the pair’s rendition of Sue Me was beautifully performed.
It’s safe to say that Fleeshman hit the jackpot with leading lady Anna O’Byrne, whose vocals were truly astounding and her portrayal of good girl gone bad in the Havana scene was utterly brilliant.
‘Yeah, it’s not a rubbish job. I get to wear amazing expensive suits and kiss beautiful women,’ laughs Fleeshman.
With such a busy work schedule, will he have time to explore Edinburgh? ‘Yeah, we’ve only got seven shows in Edinburgh, because this is the biggest theatre in the world,’ he jokes.
‘There’s never been a thing this big, it’s enormous, it’s amazing. Because of that, we’ve only got seven shows this week because how are you going to sell eight shows with 3,500 seats? Unless you’re Beyonce, it’s pretty hard. ‘So I’m going to see loads of Edinburgh which I’m really looking forward to.’ It’s a cool, suave, flashy show that plays all the right cards. Like an accumulator that’s come good, it has a winning combination of a superb cast, a beautifully written book, wonderful songs and big
band dance numbers. Guys and Dolls is at the Edinburgh Playhouse until tomorrow and will be at the Glasgow King’s Theatre from June 7-11.