Music & Lyrics by: Frank Loesser Originally staged by: George S. Kaufman |
Book by: Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon |
 Nathan Detroit’s need for a suitable location to hold his illegal crap games (despite the objections of long-time fiancée Adelaide) lead him to bet high roller Sky Masterson that he can’t persuade the straight-laced Sarah Brown to accompany him on a trip to Havana. Sky manages to win, but falls in love with Sarah along the way, requiring him to stake his future happiness on one last roll of the dice. Read the complete synopsis. For more on how the story develops, take a look through the lyrics. |
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 Guys and Dolls is based primarily on Damon Runyon’s “The Idylls of Miss Sarah Brown”, though it incorporates characters from his other short stories as well. The show was a hit, and the fifth longest-running musical of the 1950s. Read a bit more about Runyon and the literary world he created, the development of the musical, or the movie version that followed. |
  I actually only own one recording of this show so far, that one being the 1992 revival recording. However, many of the songs in the show have been recorded by other artists, so they’re familiar to people who don’t know anything about the show. Read my review of the CD, or listen to a clip from the classic “Luck be a Lady”. |
  Although I’d seen the movie many years ago, I didn’t get a chance to see the show on stage until the summer of 2004, when it was put on at the Stratford Festival. As always, their production was top-notch. Read more about that experience. |
 There have been some great performers to take on the larger-than-life characters in this show – these are just a few of my favourites. Once you’re done looking around here, check out some of the other Guys and Dolls that are out there. |