Overview
Synopsis
Guys and Dolls is a musical romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary, a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but. Set in the Manhattan of Damon Runyon’s short stories, Guys and Dolls tells of con-man Nathan Detroit’s efforts to find new life for his illegal, but notorious, crap game. When their trusty venue is found out by the police, Nathan has to find a new home for his crap game quickly - but he doesn’t have the dough to secure the one location he finds. Enter Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to take on any honest bet with a high enough reward attached. Nathan bets Sky that he can’t take the “doll” of Nathan’s choosing out on a date. When Sky agrees to the bet, Nathan chooses uptight Evangelist Sergeant Sarah Brown, head of Broadway’s Save-a-Soul Mission. Sky thinks he’s been duped, but he’s in for even more of a surprise when his efforts to woo Sarah are so successful that he falls in love with her himself! Guys and Dolls takes us from the bustle of Times Square to the sewers of New York City as it demonstrates the great lengths to which a guy will go when he truly falls in love with a “doll.” Guys and Dolls features some of Frank Loesser’s most memorable tunes, including the hilarious “Adelaide’s Lament,” the romantic “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” the exuberant “If I Were a Bell,” and the classic “Luck Be a Lady.”
Show Information
- Book
- Abe Burrows , Jo Swerling
- Music
- Frank Loesser
- Lyrics
- Frank Loesser
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Manhattan, New York, 1950’s
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Recording
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- Community Theatre, Elementary School, Ensemble Cast, Large Cast, Middle School, Mostly Male Cast, Star Vehicle Male, Star Vehicle Female, Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA), Includes Child, Late Teen, Early Teen Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York, Guys and Dolls creates an idealized version of New York in which the diverse population of this vast city, including hardened criminals and puritanical evangelists, are magically able to come together, get along, and even fall in love. Initially, the producers hired Jo Swerling to write the book, but it was later overhauled by radio comedy writer Abe Burrows, who took on the challenge of recrafting a book for a pre-existing set of songs, already written
to read the context for Guys and Dolls JR and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
The scene opens in the hustle and bustle of Times Square, New York City, where people of all walks of life – from elderly street vendors to young teenage bobby-soxers to a blind beggar to a cameraman to Texan tourists to hookers - cross paths, showing the diversity of the place New Yorkers call home. Amongst them are three good-for-nothing gamblers: Benny Southstreet, Nicely-Nicely Johnson, and Rusty Charlie, who are all placing bets on the daily horse races. Each man is convinced that he has
to read the plot for Guys and Dolls JR and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Countertenor, Tenor, Baritone |
Songs
- Overture – Orchestra
- Fugue for Tinhorns – Nicely, Benny, Rusty
- Follow the Fold – Sarah, Mission Band
- The Oldest Established – Nathan, Nicely, Benny, Guys
- Follow the Fold (Reprise)– Sarah, Mission Band
- 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
- I've Never Been in Love Before – Sky, Sarah
- Adelaide's Second Lament – Miss Adelaide
- Luck Be a Lady – Sky, Gamblers
- Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat – Nicely, Company
- Marry the Man Today – Miss Adelaide, Sarah
- Guys and Dolls (Reprise) – Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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