Celebrated musical Guys and Dolls is at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake

“Luck if you’ve ever been a lady to begin with…Luck be a lady tonight”

 Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario . . A new production of the Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls is being performed at the Shaw’s Festival Theatre.

Like its musical predecessors My Fair Lady and Ragtime, the Shaw’s production of Guys and Dolls celebrates glorious storytelling, unforgettable characters and memorable music.

Directed by Tadeusz Bradecki and brought to life by The Shaw’s renowned acting Ensemble, the “greatest of all American musicals” pulsates with the neon-lit rhythm, energy and grittiness of New York City nightlife.In New York City, you’ll meet wise guys and chorus girls, gamblers, cops and bobby-soxers. Nathan Detroit (Shawn Wright) feels the pressure —not only does he need $1000 to save the city’s oldest floating craps game, but his doll Miss Adelaide (Jenny L. Wright) is putting the squeeze on him to go legit and tie the knot. Enter Sky Masterson (Kyle Blair), an old acquaintance and high-rolling gambler, who takes Nathan’s crazy bet – to woo the pious Sarah Brown (Elodie Gillett), a sergeant at the Save-A-Soul mission! Who will take a real gamble on love? Will luck be a lady tonight?

The Shaw Festival’s production of Guys and Dolls reunites much of the team from the wildly successful 2003 and 2005 production of the musical Happy End: director Tadeusz Bradecki, set designer Peter Hartwell and musical director Paul Sportelli. This time around, they are joined by choreographer Parker Esse, who recently choreographed Molly Smith’s celebrated production of Oklahoma! at Arena Stage, for which he won a Helen Hayes award for Best Choreography; designer Sue LePage (costumes), lighting designer Kevin Lamotte and sound designer John Lott.

Full of musical standards including Luck Be a Lady, Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat and A Bushel and a Peck; Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950, ran for 1,200 performances and won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. It also received international attention thanks to the 1955 MGM motion picture adaptation featuring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.

Based on the short stories of humorist Damon Runyon, Blood Pressure and The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown, Guys and Dolls pays tribute to his quirky and innovative use of language — a bouncy New York brogue that mixes slang with formal language.

About Guys and Dolls

April 12 – October 12

Guys and Dolls will be on stage at the Festival Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake)

Guys and Dolls is sponsored by TD Bank Group.

Guys and Dolls

A musical fable of Broadway
Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon; music and lyrics by Frank Loesser; book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com

  Cast:

Thom Allison                          David Ball                               Guy Bannerman                     Kyle Blair                                 Jeremy Carver-James             Aadin Church                         Ijeoma Emesowum                Kristi Frank                             Elodie Gillett                          Kyle Golemba                         Aaron Hastelow                     Alana Hibbert                         Patty Jamieson                       Billy Lake                                 Will Lamond                           Nichola Lawrence                   Peter Millard                          Melanie Phillipson                 Kiera Sangster                        Travis Seetoo                          Evan Alexander Smith                       Jacqueline Thair                     Kelly Wong                             Jenny L. Wright                       Shawn Wright             Creative Team: Tadeusz Bradecki                   Paul Sportelli                          Parker Esse                             Peter Hartwell                                    Sue LePage                              Kevin Lamotte                                    John Lott                                 Ryan deSouza                         Alison Peddie                         Amy Jewell                              Annie McWhinnie

Nicely-Nicely Johnson Joey Biltmore Lieutenant Brannigan Sky Masterson Waiter Big Jule Vernon Swing Sarah Brown Calvin Swing Martha General Matilda B. Cartwright Benny Southstreet Angie the Ox Agatha Arvide Abernathy Mimi Allison Master of Ceremonies Harry the Horse Ferguson Rusty Charlie Miss. Adelaide Nathan Detroit Director Musical Director Choreographer Set Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Sound Designer Associate Conductor/Pianist Production Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager

The Shaw Festival’s 2013 season began April 3, runs until October 27 and features 10 productions presented on the Festival’s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages. For more information on our 2013 season, performance schedule and ticket information, please visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.