Guys and Dolls

From Free net encyclopedia

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 is a successful 1950 musical. It had a long run on Broadway (1200 performances) and was filmed in 1955 starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons (debuted on November 3, 1955). The words and music were written by Frank Loesser and the book was by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

It is based upon "The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown", a short story by Damon Runyon. It also borrows characters and plot elements from other stories by him, most notably "Pick the Winner". Many of the characters were based on real people in Runyon's hometown, Pueblo, Colorado.

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Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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. 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 craps game. Due to strong police activity, he's able to 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 even worse condition. Over the course of their date, Sky manages to break down Sarah's social barriers, and they begin to fall for each other.

Returning to New York, and to their regular lives, Sarah and Sky face the reality of trying to justify their love while retaining their opposing lifestyles.


Most of the characters are generally portrayed as preying on society's weakness for gambling, but are not prone to regular violence.

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?"

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Musical numbers

  • "Runyonland"
  • "Fugue for Tinhorns"
  • "Follow the Fold"
  • "The Oldest Established"
  • "I'll Know"
  • "A Bushel and a Peck" (theatre) / "Pet Me Poppa" (movie)
  • "Adelaide's Lament"
  • "Guys and Dolls"
  • "Ever Loving Adelaide"
  • "If I Were a Bell"
  • "My Time"
  • "I've Never Been in Love Before" (theatre) / "A Woman In Love" (movie)
  • "Take Back Your Mink"
  • "More I Cannot Wish You"
  • Crapshooters' Ballet
  • "Luck Be a Lady"
  • "Sue Me"
  • "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat"
  • "Marry the Man Today"
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Broadway Production

The show opened at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24, 1950.

CAST:

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London Production

The show opened at the Coliseum on May 28, 1953 and ran for 555 performances.

CAST:

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Goldwyn movie production 1955

The movie version was directed by Joseph Mankiewicz.

CAST:

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Revivals

Guys and Dolls has been performed all over the globe.

1976 
This version featured an all-black cast and Motown-style musical arrangements by Danny Holgate and Horace Ott. It opened at the Broadway Theatre on July 21 and ran for 239 performances.

CAST:


1982 
Richard Eyre directed a major revival at the Royal National Theatre, London. The first Director of the National Theatre, Laurence Olivier, had earlier wished to stage the piece and play Nathan Detroit, but was prevented by illness; many theatregoers therefore found it pleasing that Eyre’s production was staged in the NT’s largest auditorium – the Olivier Theatre. The principals were Ian Charleson (Sky), Julie Covington (Sarah), Bob Hoskins (Nathan) and Julia McKenzie (Miss Adelaide).
1992 

The show opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on April 14 (after 33 preview performances starting March 16), and ran for nearly three years (1143 performances).

CAST:

1995 
In Las Vegas, featured an all-star cast including Jack Jones, Maureen McGovern and Frank Gorshin.
2005 
In London, Michael Grandage's Donmar Warehouse production began previews on 19 May 2005, featuring Ewan McGregor, Jane Krakowski, Douglas Hodge and Jenna Russell. On 5 December 2005, Nigel Harman replaced McGregor as Sky Masterson, and Sarah Lancashire replaced Krakowski as Miss Adelaide, whilst Nigel Lindsay replaced Douglas Hodge as Nathan Detroit. Lancashire was forced to leave the production on 4th January 2006 with illness having played only four full weeks of performances. The new cast from 6 March 2006 starred Adam Cooper as Sky Masterson, Sally Ann Triplett replacing Lyndsay Britton (who covered for Sarah Lancashire), Kelly Price and Neil Morrissey. The London revival continues until September 2006.
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External links

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References

  • Susan Loesser (1993): A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life. Donald I. Fine, New York.ja:ガイズ&ドールズ
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