“Guys and Dolls” is a story about hustlers, heavies, gamblers, gangsters and good-for-nothings, but its central conflict is one of relatively low stakes. Sure, our heroes are always hightailing it from cops, and every once in awhile someone pulls a gun, but the real risk is that their gals will finally tell them to get lost. In that respect, the dolls are almost more important than the guys: Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson are among Broadway’s most iconic characters, but they don’t get as many big production numbers as their female counterparts. Spokane Civic Theatre opened “Guys and Dolls” this weekend, a bright and energetic adaptation directed by Melody Deatherage and choreographed by Troy Nickerson. Based on the celebrated writings of Damon Runyon, “Guys and Dolls” drops us headlong into the bustle of mid-20th century New York City. We meet Nathan Detroit (the always dependable Patrick McHenry-Kroetch), a smooth operator whose illegal craps games, held in a different secret location every week, have made him an underground legend and a primary target of the police.
