JonathanChance

As some of you know, I am currently rehearsing for our local production of Guys and Dolls. I play the role of Angie the Ox, one of the gamblers. Well, today we ran through the famous "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" scene. Fot those of you who are unfamiliar with this scene, a gambler by the name of Sky Masterson won a wager that requires all of the other gamblers to attend a prayer meeting at a mission run by the woman he is dating. I really hate this scene. And I hate it on a number of levels.

First off, I absolutley hate the song. I am a high tenor, and the high tenor bit of this song is the most difficult part I have in the entire show.

Secondly, I hate the motions we have to do while we sing this song. i hate all of the standing up and sitting down in just the right spot just throws off my ablility to sing. To make matters worse, in rehearsal today, I had a hard time doing this scene due to a cramp in my leg which popped up while we were practicing the raid scene, where we have to run out of the door in a keystone cops-esque fashin and up the stairs in the house. When it came time to do the sit down scene right afterwards, it became really painful.

Finally, as a freethinker, I really dislike this scene because it is the scene where all the gamblers leave their old lives of free will and become slaves to religious way of life.

Stiletto One

*shrug
I doubt the writers meant that—Guys and Dolls seems to promote the 'virtuous life' rather than Christianity specifically. Regardless, considering when it was written, atheism/agnosticism probably weren't anywhere near as big as now—the writers probably didn't think once about having a religious method in it.

Personally, I don't mind the story, but some of the plot just seem goofy.

It is an American musical, though.

Kenneth

I saw Guys and Dolls on VHS, starring Marlon Brando and "Old Blue Eyes". I like the film. I probably saw it a lot of times. And pesonally, I like the scene where they sang "Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat." Although in the movie, it was nicely -something- sorry I forgot the whole name, who sang the song, not angie the OX.

Anyway, I thought that part was witty. He dreamt that he was in a boat bound for heaven and he woke up to find that he was really in a boat. I find that part very funny.

I don't think that freedom is license. I believe that free people will, in the end, make morally choices similar to that of the Christians. The only difference is that he will find reason to do moral things without the aid of supernatural beings.

I believe freethinkers will also come to the same conclusion as the Christians: that gambling is wrong, drukenness is wrong, hurting other people is wrong and so on.

Bree

Don't worry - the gamblers are leaving their old lives to become virtuous only because they believe that virtue will get them laid in a more efficient manner .

I hate the sit-down/stand-up choreography that seems to plague that scene. The words "sit down, you're rocking the boat" aren't necessarily supposed to be taken literally - whenever I see staging like that I am reminded of the dance audition skit that recurs on Saturday Night Live. Yeah, you know the one.

Pierre Bezukhov

I've done the show twice; once as Sky and once as Lt. Brannigan, so I never got to do the song. I think it's a fun song and a real crowd-pleaser, but I think your attaching more significance to their "conversions" than is written into the show.

Bree

Hollywood Rumour #20,360 = Vin Diesel and Nicole Kidman slated to being filming a new production of Guys and Dolls.