Unfashionable classic musicals have been rare in Melbourne since The Production Company’s 2020 demise, so devotees should rush to this humble but spirited new production of Guys and Dolls.

It’s surprising that Antipodes Theatre Company is filling the breach (albeit briefly), as this independent has previously focused on new, somewhat edgy works during its four years of existence. However, the company’s inclusive approach, including strong representation of trans, non-binary, ethnically diverse and female performers, is very much on show here. The result is a Guys and Dolls that’s refreshingly different, but which also sincerely embraces the golden age of American musicals.

Angelo Vasilakakos, Bugs Baschera and Jahla Black in Guys and Dolls. Photo © 3 Fates Media

With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950. Set in Prohibition-era New York City, this romantic comedy is adapted from short stories by Damon Runyon. It brings together the simultaneously shady and colourful world of illegal gamblers, and a Christian mission set up to save such sinners. Nightclub scenes in New York, and even Havana, are the singing, dancing...