ok so i saw Guys & Dolls for the third time today (i have my ways of getting cheap tix so it costs a fraction of regular prices), the West End production of Guys & Dolls at Bridge Theatre, and i am going insane absolutely feral i need someone to understand me
several things about the male MC of the show so yall can understand what im talking about:
male MC, Sky Masterson, is a gambler who thrives at late nights, calls 4am his time of day, and is falling in love throughout the whole show. what's special about the West End version of Sky is that they made him bi/pan. (spoiler alert??) when he takes Sarah, the female MC, to Havana, he says sth like "wanna see what a real party looks like?" and brings her to a gay club and he starts dancing with men (as opposed to a straight club and dancing with women in the original production in 1950s)
i, a bi/pan self-proclaimed aspiring gambler who regularly sleeps at 6am for no reason, of course self-project a little too much on this character, especially cuz the guy is falling in love, like what am i supposed to do??? not project myself onto him?????
out of my 3 times of watching G&D, the first 2 times Sky was played by George Ioannides, and today was played by Pierce Rogan. they had vastly different interpretations and portrayals of Sky and i am so here for both of it. in fact i am so normal about this change
below are my interpretations of each of their portrayals of Sky Masterson, including A Lot of headcannons that i have for this character cuz not much about his (or anyone's) past is really mentioned in the show:
George Ioannides's Sky: i feel like this Sky is someone who realized he's into men as well as women, accepted and had no qualms with it, and is emotionally healthier because of it. emotionally healthier as in he doesn't repress his emotions or feelings, yes he dances with men so easily and flirts in the gay club like it's his second nature, but he also allows all his adoration and infatuation with Sarah to show. the love seeps from his eyes so easily, and he cannot stop looking because he is so in love. this probably has to do with the different actresses who played Sarah today and before, but either way it feels like George's Sky has more natural chemistry with Sarah and they're kinda made for each other. btw i love George Ioannides so much he's such a sexy sexy man with big puppy eyes, which helps with the expressing emotions through eyes cuz it just fits so well
Pierce Rogan's Sky: AAASSASASADHGFLKJASDHFLKJAHSDLFJK. this Sky is a man who knew he was into men from a very young age, and only realized he also likes women and might be bi/pan in his adult years. he is very emotionally repressed and probably has anxiety. in the gay club he looks so comfortable with being intimate with men, dancing, foreheads and noses fully touching, rolling hips. but with Sarah, he looks away sometimes and occasionally has facial expressions that say "in love but emotionally constipated", like honey what are you bottling up?? your feelings for Sarah, a woman? because you've spent so much time accepting the mlm part of you, and the discovery of you also liking women mayhap feels new and almost like a betrayal to the identity that you've built and come to terms with?? i said George's Sky has more natural chemistry with Sarah, but with Pierce's Sky, it feels like initially he really did rizz up Sarah purely out of a bet (which is what it was written to be). this Sky and Sarah just accidentally catch feelings, and Sky has A Time trying to come to terms with that, and they have to put in effort (on their own selves) and eventually make it work. Pierce Rogan i love you i owe you my life thank you so much
also!! apart from how Sky is portrayed, the ways that Sarah interacted with Sky were also different. with George's Sky, Sarah (played by Charlotte Scott) mostly exudes "i can change him" energy, and Sky is kinda like "ah fine whatever, i love you enough to be changed in good ways". whereas Pierce's Sky feels way less willing to change, whether for Sarah (played by Gina Beck) or anyone/anything. he approaches Sarah with caution, finds out that (drunk) Sarah is crazy, not only wants his freak but actively ups herself to match it. in a way this version makes the ending scene where Sarah publicly calls Sky "Obediah" (his real name which he's only told Sarah about) much more,, comfortable to watch?? i guess?? calling George's Sky "Obediah" feels like "aha i have successfully changed him, as shown by how i'm calling him rn", and Sky is lowkey exasperated but tolerates it. BUT calling Pierce's Sky "Obediah" feels more like an inside joke and a nickname for her lover, like "it's a secret that he entrusted me, and now i throw it around jokingly, maybe partially to say that he's mine hehehe", and Sky lowkey likes it
ANYWAY i love both versions of Sky Masterson. both George and Pierce are absolutely amazingly phenomenal, and i thoroughly enjoyed both of their performances. and most of what i said above are kinda just my hcs and interpretations of their portrayals. BUT YEA um Sky Masterson is such a kin character to me and today's experience was so personal, so lifechanging, and i desperately need someone to say that they understand so i don't feel as insane as i probably am
