The first time I saw Ewan McGregor was on stage, playing Sky Masterson in the 2005 revival of Guys and Dolls.
Guys and Dolls was his first stage musical (although he had appeared on film in Moulin Rouge, 2001) and he admitted to feeling ‘concerned’ about the choreography and singing, which requires more stamina and training on stage than on film. He also took singing lessons ahead of the role.
He starred alongside Jane Krakowski as Miss Adelaide, Douglas Hodge as Nathan Detroit and Jenna Russell as Sarah Brown.
Guys and Dolls is set in the 19, the height of the prohibition years in America. Nathan Detroit, the owner of the local underground ‘floating’ casino, has run out of money, so can’t find a location for his next casino night – the only place he can find, the Biltmore Hotel garage, wants $1,000 in return. In an attempt to raise the money, he bets Sky Masterson, a successful gambler, that Sarah Brown, an unsuccessful missionary, will never go to Havana, Cuba, with Sky for the weekend. Sky sets off on his mission, but only has a few days to convince the stubborn Sarah. Meanwhile Nathan wants to marry Miss Adelaide, whom he has been engaged to for 14 years, but she won't marry him until he gives up gambling and goes straight…
The production was directed by Michael Grandage and produced by The Donmar Warehouse. It won Outstanding Musical Production and Best Actress in a Musical for Jane Krakowski at the 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards. McGregor received good reviews, but unfortunately wasn't nominated for any awards for his performance.
Thanks, Marianne. Interesting post. Has he done anything more recently on stage? Or has his A list rating kept in the big films?
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