Daily News from New York, New York • 66

Band led by Mercer Ellington, ih Duke' son. Works j-it, sinpers bnt their distortion tyerjiy f.4 The world; ef t) omo 'life just bad? tf 4 simpler and happier back in lt5(. IMXCES roil THE DI KE. The Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater will open its first week of its summer season at the New York State Theater Aug. 10-15 with an ''Ellington Celebration." Works -choreographed to "The Duke's" music will be performed, and for the first time accompanied by the Ellington 3 ,4 choreographed by Ailey) neinle TW Mooch," 'Libe-rian Suite," "Road of th Phoebe Snow," as well the premiere of "Three Black Kings," Ailey's paean to black leaders.

In an unprecedented move, the American Mallet Theater will guest Aug. 13 and 14 with performances of "The River." On the same program, Mikhail Ba-ryshnikov and Judith Jamison will repeat their highly-acclaimed duet, "Pae da Duke." IMM ltt'ia MCI tw-i-Jkl 10 Ml 'ilMUtll IMH MIRISCH CORPORATION PRESENTS MANHATTAN! -ON BROADWAY I 'OWN rnuN'RY I UA RIYOUTRANS-LUX EAST86TH ST. EAST so ii in n0' 12 00.2 30.4 50. 7.1S. 40 1 00.3 20.4 45,110.10 30 Ernestine Jackson Oarah) the Black to intrude on the enjoyment.

The Hot Box Girls prance and bump through their two numbers, each one looking like a real doll, with director Billy Wilson's choreography fitting the occasion to a T. Wilson flips the coin for the high-jumping, exuberant "Crapshooters Dance" and another flip for the exotic dance in "El Cafe Felieidad" (which still looks like Havana). If this account seems to be overlooking the Abe Burrows-Jo Swerling book, it's only that that's being saved- for emphasis. The cast delivers the lines and business with all the humor that's in them. The success of the Broadway theater interpretation undoubtedly is because this production was supervised by the master himself, Abe Burrows.

One quibble, about body mikes. They make it easier on lWWW.iTl)-Hl0N)- CCNTU I kings piaza NORTH UA MARB0R0 Ct NTUtY RIALT0 UA CAPRI STATEN ISLAM Dj UA PARAMOUNT tttTO S4JFHM.I UA lATSHORE UA SAC HARBOR Cf NTUHT UA PATCH0CUE YORK patchogue huNimaroM WESTCHESTER; UA BRONXVIUE UA WHITE PLAINS KONIVHLl WM'Tf PA'NS N.Y.STATIJ UA ROUTE 5Sn.NU(t Robert Guillaume (Nathan) and and James Randolph (Sky): the '(Guys an SAY "GUYS and Dolls" and the person you're talking; to probably will start singing, "I got the horse right here Make a bet on the favorite American musical-comedy score, and the odds are good "Guys and Dolls" will come up a winner. This Frank Loesser musical out of Damon Runyon has a core that can do no wrong. It's a show which just keeps being done. Last night a new production of it opened at the Broadway Theater, but this version has something extra-special about it, the fact that it's being done by an all-black cast.

This news immediately creates a picture, no doubt, of a disco-ized evening subtitled "Gats and Chicks." Wisely, however, the producers have not tried to attempt an alteration on the original spirit of the show or try to take us into 197t. "Guys and Dolls," as it did when it opened in 1950, exists in a never-never land in a never-never time. Whoever believed thtose romantic jingsters, con artists, chorus girls and mission lassies were real life anyway? Not even Runyon. Here and there an obligatory embellishment, a suggestion of "Shaft" or "Superfly." is dropped into the arrangements, but they're minor. The rousing "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" turns into a real gospel number, a hallelujah chorus, which had the opening night audience demanding an encore, but that's exactly the spirit it's meant to have.

The characters remain just as they are, a lovable, misguided crew, and the fact that they are black in this case is only incidental. This could be an all-Asian cast and the factor of importance still would be only: Do they have the Norma Donaldson (Adelaide); main "Guys and Dolls." Bolls' in THEATER By ERNEST LEOGRANDE talent to make the show work all over again? They do. Robert Guillaume's harried Nathan Detroit, Norma Donaldson's dear and dumb Miss Adelaide and Ernestine Jackson's strong-willed missionary Sarah Brown all strike the right notes. Only James Randolph's Sky Masterson seems out of place in the quartet of principals. His voice is robust and persuasive but his manner is too austere.

He seems to be the one who should be the missionary. Donaldson made "Adelaide's Lament" her own down to the last sneeze and when Jackson sings that if she were a bell, she'd ring, she actually seems to start ringing. Among the minor characters. Ken Page's Nicely-Nicely was a standout, especially in "Sit Down," as noted. Christopher Pierre as a Benny Southstreet turned the theme "Guys and Dolls," done with Nicely-Nicely, into the happy lament it should be.

Inevitably there have had to be some change? in references, in songs, dialogue and in one case setting. Sky and Sarah take a sirte trip to San Juan, not Havana, things being the way they are, i change already ha-i been made in other post Castro productions. While "Roxy" remains (out of sentiment?) and so does "Barbasol," "Hollanderize" has been removed, no doubt as too arcane, and "late 48" becomes "last Christmas Eve." In "Sue Me," Nathan still sings "all right already" even though in an earlier scene he has uiven the Big Jule character a soul brother handshake. If this dabbling of old with new sounds like a touch of schizophrenia, it's not enough "-kcssssnni sci ELWOOO CINEMA NEW ROCHELLE ST0NY8R0OK 2 RYERIDCE CINEMA rW TWIN. SUNWAVETWIN WESTCHESTER MALL ON THE EAST SIDE JtUEENS-UA JACKSON ACM SON HI, UA liFRAK Lf pmak cur Cf NT UY PROSPECT I iNASSAUj- FLORAL CREEN ACRES PARfti 1 Hi.

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