Information about Guys And Dolls

For the 1955 film version see Guys and Dolls (film).

For 1970s UK musical group see Guys n' Dolls.

For the "Married... with Children" episode, see Guys and Dolls (Married... with Children episode).

'

Guys and Dolls
Original Cast Recording
Music	Frank Loesser
Lyrics	Frank Loesser
Book	Jo Swerling Abe Burrows
Based upon	The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown by Damon Runyon
Productions	1950 Broadway 1953 West End 1955 film 1976 Broadway revival 1982 West End revival 1992 Broadway revival 1995 Las Vegas 2005 West End revival
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Book Olivier for Outstanding Musical Tony Award for Best Revival Drama Desk Outstanding Revival Olivier for Outstanding Musical

Guys and Dolls is a musical, with the music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown, a short story by Damon Runyon. It also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick the Winner."

The musical was first produced on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre, opening on November 24 1950 and directed by George S. Kaufman. It starred Robert Alda, Sam Levene, Isabel Bigley, and Vivian Blaine. The play enjoyed an initial run of 1,201 performances, winning five 1951 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical. Decca Records issued an original cast recording on LP; it was later reissued on CD by MCA. The original London production opened at the London Coliseum on May 28 1953 and ran for 555 performances. The show enjoyed numerous award-winning revivals and tours and has become a popular choice for school and community theatre productions.

On November 3 1955 the film version was released, starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, and Jean Simmons, with Vivian Blaine reprising her role. It was directed by Joseph Mankiewicz.

Original production background

Isabel Bigley, who played Miss Sarah Brown, wrote an article about the frustrations and accomplishments that took place throughout the creation of Guys and Dolls. Among other things, she claimed that Frank Loesser physically assaulted her for not singing his songs the way he believed she should. Loesser's daughter, Susan, wrote in her biography of her father, "During a tantrum that became a Broadway insiders' legend, he [Frank Loesser] actually slapped Isabel Bigley in the face when she failed to sing his way. Like his explosion with the chorus, his attack on Isabel was over in a flash."^[1]

A 50th-anniversary NPR retrospective on the making of the original Broadway production included Blaine's recollections of Miss Adelaide being created specifically to fit Blaine into the musical after Loesser and Loewe decided she was ill suited to play the buttoned-up Sarah. In the same retrospective, host Scott Simon observed that "Adelaide's Lament" is "often considered a perfect comic song" and offered a clip of lyricist Fred Ebb's analysis of its appeal:

Here's a girl who's got a cold all through the play and she says she has a cold 'cause somebody isn't going to marry her. That's a very rich comic notion. And she's got these hilarious punch lines. You know, "if she's getting a kind of name for herself and the name ain't his; if she's tired of gettin' the fish eye from the hotel clerk." Every line in it is worth something. It means something; has impact. It has vitality. It has humor and charm and appropriateness. And I don't know how you can get much better than that.

Revivals

Guys and Dolls has enjoyed many revivals, including a 1976 revival at The Broadway Theatre, which featured an all-black cast and Motown-style musical arrangements by Danny Holgate and Horace Ott, which was directed by Billy Wilson. It ran for 239 performances.

A 1982 London revival was directed by Richard Eyre and played at the Royal National Theatre's largest auditorium, the Olivier Theatre. The principals were Bob Hoskins (Nathan), Julia McKenzie (Miss Adelaide) Ian Charleson (Sky), and Julie Covington (Sarah).

A 1992 Broadway revival, directed by Jerry Zaks, played at the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 1,143 performances. In 1995, a Las Vegas, Nevada production starred Jack Jones, Maureen McGovern and Frank Gorshin.

The 2005 West End revival opened at London's Piccadilly Theatre in June 2005 and closed in April 2007. This revival, directed by Michael Grandage, starred Ewan McGregor (Sky Masterson), Jane Krakowski (Miss Adelaide), and Douglas Hodge (Nathan Detroit)^[2] American actors Patrick Swayze (2006) and Don Johnson (2007) appeared as Nathan Detroit after Douglas Hodge left.

According to playbill.com the 2005 West End production, which had been scheduled to begin previews on Broadway in February 2008, has been indefinitely postponed.^[3]

Synopsis

Act I

The story revolves around the activities of New York petty criminals and professional gamblers. Nathan Detroit runs an (illegal) "floating crap game", despite constant encouragement to "go straight" by Miss Adelaide, a nightclub singer to whom he has been engaged for fourteen years but will not marry. When a surge of "high-rollers" comes to town, Nathan is pressured to find a place to hold his floating crap game. Due to strong police activity, namely Lieutenant Brannigan, he can only find one spot, the Biltmore Hotel garage. The owner's requirement, however, is a $1,000 deposit for security, which Nathan does not have.

Trying to obtain the money, Nathan comes across Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to bet on virtually anything. Nathan proposes a bet which seems impossible to lose: Sky must take a doll of Nathan's choice to dinner... in Havana, Cuba, or pay up. Nathan chooses Miss Sarah Brown, a straight-walking sergeant at the Save-a-Soul Mission, a local Salvation Army-like organization. Sarah resists Sky, but her Mission is in trouble, and when he promises to fill her prayer meeting with a dozen sinners, Sky manages to get Sarah to agree to the date, putting Nathan in an even worse position. Over the course of their date, Sky manages to break down Sarah's social inhibitions, and they begin to fall in love with one another.

Act II

Nathan is also struggling with his relationship with his fiancée of fourteen years, Adelaide, who has come down with a psychosomatic cold due to lack of a wedding ring. Tired of his habitual lying, she walks out on him. Meanwhile, Sky is having problems of his own with Sarah as their lifestyles clash. Convinced that his love for Sarah is true, Sky makes good on a bet he made with Sarah to fill her failing mission with a dozen sinners. Also, he lies about succeeding on his original bet with Nathan and pays him the $1,000. At the same time, Sky wins a bet with the guys at Nathan's crap game that results in them having to appear at Sarah's mission. Nathan also attends, but doing so nearly ruins his relationship with Adelaide.

Sarah fatefully runs into Adelaide, where the two realize that they cannot fight love any longer. Adelaide is relieved when Sarah mentions that Nathan had attended a service earlier in the night, which Adelaide thought he had been lying about.

The show ends happily with Nathan and Adelaide's long-awaited wedding, Nathan having gone (almost) straight. They are joined by Sarah and Sky, who has joined the mission and married Sarah.

Characters

• Nathan Detroit Baritone/Tenor
• Sky Masterson Baritone
• Sarah Brown Soprano
• Miss Adelaide Mezzo-Soprano
• Nicely-Nicely Johnson Tenor
• Benny Southstreet Bass/Baritone
• Rusty Charlie Baritone
• Arvide Abernathy Bass/Baritone
• Harry the Horse
• Lt. Brannigan
• Angie the Ox
• Others: Joey Biltmore; Mimi; General Matilda B. Cartwright; Big Jule; ensemble

Musical numbers

Act I "Runyonland" (Orchestra) "Fugue for Tinhorns" (Nicely, Benny, Rusty) "Follow the Fold" (Mission Band) "The Oldest Established" (Nathan, Nicely, Benny, Guys) "I'll Know" (Sarah, Sky) "A Bushel and a Peck" (Miss Adelaide, Hot Box Girls) "Adelaide's Lament" (Miss Adelaide) "Guys and Dolls" (Nicely, Benny) "If I Were a Bell" (Sarah) "My Time of Day/I've Never Been in Love Before" (Sky, Sarah)

Act II "Take Back Your Mink" (Miss Adelaide, Hot Box Girls) "More I Cannot Wish You" (Arvide) "Crapshooters' Ballet" (Orchestra) "Luck Be a Lady" (Sky, Guys) "Sue Me" (Miss Adelaide, Nathan) "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" (Nicely, Company) "Marry the Man Today" (Miss Adelaide, Sarah) "Finale" (Company)

Mention in Seinfeld

The musical was mentioned in the Seinfeld episode The Outing where Jerry and George are concerned that people might think they're gay. Jerry asks "Guys And Dolls? Isn't that a lavish, broadway musical?" to which George responds, "It's Guys And Dolls, not Guys And Guys." ^[4]

Historical cast information

The following table shows the principal casts of the major productions of Guys and Dolls:

Cast of major productions of Guys and Dolls

	Nathan Detroit	Miss Adelaide	Sky Masterson	Sister Sarah Brown	Nicely-Nicely Johnson	Arvide Abernathy	Big Jule	Harry The Horse	Benny Southstreet
Original 1950 Broadway Production	Sam Levene	Vivian Blaine	Robert Alda	Isabel Bigley	Stubby Kaye	Pat Rooney	B.S. Pully	Tom Pedi	Johnny Silver
Original 1953 London Production	Sam Levene	Vivian Blaine	Jerry Wayne	Lizbeth Webb	Stubby Kaye	Ernest Butcher	Lew Herbert	Tom Pedi	Johnny Silver
1955 Film	Frank Sinatra	Vivian Blaine	Marlon Brando	Jean Simmons	Stubby Kaye	Regis Toomey	B.S. Pully	Sheldon Leonard	Johnny Silver
1976 All Black Cast	Robert Guillaume	Norma Donaldson	James Randolph	Ernestine Jackson	Ken Page	Emett “Babe” Wallace	Walter White		Christophe Pierre
1982 Royal National Theater London	Bob Hoskins	Julia McKenzie	Ian Charleson	Julie Covington
1992 US Revival	Nathan Lane	Faith Prince	Peter Gallagher	Josie de Guzman	Walter Bobbie	John Carpenter	Herschel Sparber	Ernie Sabella	J.K. Simmons
2005 London Production	Douglas Hodge	Jane Krakowski	Ewan McGregor	Jenna Russell

Awards and nominations

• Original 1950 Broadway production
• 1951 Tony Award
• Best Musical (Winner)
• Best Actor in a Musical — Robert Alda (Winner)
• Best Featured Actress in a Musical — Isabel Bigley (Winner)
• Best Choreography — Michael Kidd (Winner)
• Best Director — George S. Kaufman (Winner)
• 1965 Broadway revival
• 1965 Tony Award
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical — Jerry Orbach (nominee)
• 1976 Broadway revival
• 1977 Tony Award
• Best Actor in a Musical — Robert Guillaume (nominee)
• Best Actress in a Musical — Ernestine Jackson (nominee)
• Most Innovative Production of a Revival-nominee
• 1977 Theatre World Award
• Ken Page (Winner)
• 1977 Drama Desk Award
• Outstanding Actor in a Musical — Robert Guillaume (nominee)
• Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical — Ernestine Jackson (nominee)
• 1992 Broadway revival
• 1994 Theatre World Award — Burke Moses (Winner)
• 1992 Tony Award
• Best Actor in a Musical — Nathan Lane (nominee)
• Best Actress in a Musical — Faith Prince (Winner)
• Best Actress in a Musical — Josie de Guzman (nominee)
• Best Scenic Design — Tony Walton (Winner)
• Best Lighting Design — Paul Gallo (nominee)
• Best Choreography — Christopher Chadman (nominee)
• Best Direction of a Musical — Jerry Zaks (Winner)
• Best Revival (Winner)
• 1992 Drama Desk Award
• Outstanding Actress in a Musical — Faith Prince (Winner)
• Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical — Walter Bobbie (nominee)
• Outstanding Choreography — Christopher Chadman (nominee)
• Outstanding Director of a Musical — Jerry Zaks (Winner)
• Outstanding Costumes — William Ivy Long (Winner)
• Outstanding Lighting Design — Paul Gallo (Winner)
• Outstanding Set Design — Tony Walton (Winner)
• Outstanding Revival (Winner)
• 1982 London production
• Laurence Olivier Awards
• Designer of the Year — John Gunter (Winner)
• Director of the Year — Richard Eyre (Winner)
• Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role — David Healy (Winner)
• Actor of the Year in a Musical — Bob Hoskins (nominee)
• Actress of the Year in a Musical — Julia McKenzie (Winner)
• Outstanding Achievement of the Year in a Musical (Winner)
• 2005 London production
• Laurence Olivier Awards (2006)
• Outstanding Musical Production (Winner)
• Best Actress In A Musical — Jane Krakowski (Winner)

Notes

References

• Susan Loesser (1993): A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life. Donald I. Fine, New York ISBN-0-634-00927-3.
• Davis, Lee. "The Indestructible Icon" in ShowMusic, Winter 2000-01: 17-24, 61-63

External links

• Guys and Dolls (links to all Broadway productions) at the Internet Broadway Database
• Guys and Dolls the Musical - Official web site of the 2005 London Revival
• Guys and Dolls at Stage Agent http://www.stageagent.com/shows.php?id=711
• Official London Theatre list 1982 Olivier Awards http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/awards/winners/display?contentId=72658

Awards
Preceded by South Pacific	Tony Award for Best Musical 1951	Succeeded by The King and I
Preceded by South Pacific by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan	Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 1950	Succeeded by No Award Given

•  • [ e] Frank Loesser musicals
Where's Charley? • Guys and Dolls • The Most Happy Fella • Greenwillow • How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying • Pleasures and Palaces