Guys And Dolls

Guys And Dolls is a successful 1950 musical. On Broadway, it enjoyed a long initial run (1200 performances), as well as three revivals (totalling another 1397 performances). On November 3, 1955 the film version debuted starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine (who along with Stubby Kaye and Johnny Silver starred in the original Broadway production as well as the movie). Frank Loesser both composed the music and wrote the lyrics. The book was adapted by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows from "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." Synopsis Although there are detail differences between the stage and movie versions, the plot is essentially based around the activities of New York petty criminals and professional gamblers. The lesser role of Nathan Detroit makes a living by running 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. 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, he can only find one spot, the Biltmore garage. The owner's requirement, however, is a $1000 deposit for security. Trying to obtain the money, Nathan comes across Sky Masterson, a gambler willing to bet on virtually anything. Nathan proposes a bet which seems impossible to lose: take Sarah Brown, a straight-walking sister at the Save a Soul Mission, to dinner ... in Havana, Cuba. Surprisingly, 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. Returning to New York and to their regular lives, Sarah and Sky face the reality of trying to justify their love while retaining their incompatible lifestyles. Most of the characters are generally portrayed as preying on society's weakness for gambling, but although they make threats, they are not prone to following through - and even such instances of violence as a brief, one-sided fight between Sky and Chicago high roller Big Jule are played largely for comic element. There is a suggestion that Nathan Detroit may be Jewish, due to his frequent use of Yinglish phrases, especially in the song "Sue Me" which includes "nu" (an interjection roughly meaning well, as of expectation), and turns of phrase such as "What can you do me?" Musical numbers "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" (Sky) "I've Never Been in Love Before" (Sky, Sarah) "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) Broadway production The show opened at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24, 1950. It won the 1952 Tony Award for Best Musical. All of the actors and actresses called in to audition for the roles almost immediately after their audition, except for the roles of Big Jule, played by gambler B.S. Pully and Miss Sarah Brown eventually played by Isabel Bigley. Although both the writers and producers thought she was fit for the role of Miss Sarah Brown , Bigley had had the most trouble during the process of creating and staging this new masterpiece. Bigley illustrates the frustrations and accomplishments that took place throughout the creation of Guys and Dolls. One of the most outstanding stories contained in this article alone, is one of Frank Loesser physically assaulting Bigley for not singing his songs the way he believed the actress should. Overall, Guys and Dolls has been a major influence in the world of Musical Theater and still seems to prove this opinion. Frank Loesser and George S. Kaufman, through times of struggle and defeat, had ultimately written one of the most humorous, authentic, and popular musicals of the 20th century. (Davis, Lee. "The Indestructible Icon." ShowMusic Winter 2000-01: 17-24, 61-63) Cast: Robert Alda as Sky Masterson Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit Isabel Bigley as Sister Sarah Brown Pat Rooney as Arvide Abernathy B. S. Pully as Big Jule Stubby Kaye as Nicely-Nicely Johnson Tom Pedi as Harry The Horse Johnny Silver as Benny Southstreet (If you are here because of the British pop group of the 70s, then you have tagged the artist incorrectly. It should be "Guys 'N' Dolls".)