“Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” (1933) and “Blood Pressure”, which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, such as “Pick the Winner”. The show premiered on Broadway in 1950, where it ran for 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine. “
Diane and I saw a matinee performance of Guys and Dolls at the MusicalFare Theater. The local musical group put on an energetic show for the sold-out audience. The plot is silly: a floating crap game in New York City is threatened by a determined police officer. As the gamblers try to find a site for their game, a pretty missionary for the Salvation Army becomes a key factor in the game between the gamblers and the police.
“Bushel and a Peck” is the song I remember from my youth. And, “Luck Be a Lady.” The local actors belted out the songs and the audience responded with much applause. I would estimate the average age of the audience to be 80 years old.
Are you a fan of Broadway musicals? GRADE: B
“I would estimate the average age of the audience to be 80 years old.”
So does a crowd like that make you feel young?
Dan, in a strange way the 80-year-olds do make me feel younger at 74. The corridor leading to the theater is full of walkers and scooters.
Those matinees really appeal to those of us who don’t like to drive at night. I have seen this one many times and never been disappointed. We see A RAISIN IN THE SUN Sunday afternoon in two weeks.
Patti, we’re matinee people all the way. My Night Vision sucks and who wants to go out at night these days? Over a 1000 cars have be stolen in Buffalo and its suburbs in 2023…so far!
And everyone onstage and in the audience could sing better than Marlon Brando.
Todd, Brando had a very specialized Skill Set.
So you and Diane were the youngsters.
GUYS AND DOLLS is one of Jackie’s favorite musicals. So we have seen the badly miscast movie (Frank Sinatra as the Jewish Nathan Detroit!) many times. We’ve also seen it on stage:
11/20/76 on Broadway – all -back cast, with Robert Guillaume as Nathan Detroit. Ken Page, who later achieved more fame in CATS, won a Tony as Nicely Nicely Johnson, thanks to a rousing “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
8/15/85 London Originally this had starred Bob Hoskins but he was long gone by then.
12/25/93 Christmas matinee – Broadway – Nathan Lane, Peter Gallgher (terrific Sky Masterson), Faith Prince as Miss Adelaide.
8/13/97 London National Theatre – A revelation: Imelda Staunton as the best Miss Adelaide ever.
11/14/05 London – Ewan McGregor as Sky Masterson! Douglas Hodge as Mathan Detroit. Can’t remember Miss Adelaide, but not Jane Krakowski.
George Costanza, “It’s Guys and Dolls, not Guys and Guys.”
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
Jeff, there’s a lot of buzz about the current London GUYS AND DOLLS starring Marisha Wallace as Miss Adelaide.
A lot of depends on the show (not a CABERET fan), but I will drop everything to catch a performance of ANYTHING GOES.
Jerry, Diane and I love ANYTHING GOES. I think we’ve seen six productions of that classic musical!
Saw Guys and Dolls in London several years ago with Patrick Swayze in a lead roll.
Kent, how was Patrick Swayze?