One of Broadway's most hilarious shows, Guys and Dolls has been described as the perfect musical comedy. It is primarily based on Damon Runyon's short story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown," which describes the unlikely romance between a pure at heart urban missionary and a slick Broadway gambler. The show's second romantic storyline involves Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide, who have been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan organizes "the oldest established, permanent floating craps game in New York," and Adelaide is the main attraction at the Hot Box nightclub.

Guys and Dolls opened on Broadway on November 24, 1950. Producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin assembled an exceptional team to bring Runyon's hard-shelled, but basically softhearted characters to the stage. The team, which included composer/lyricist Frank Loesser, co-book writer Abe Burrows, director George S. Kaufman, and choreographer Michael Kidd, created an instant hit, praised by reviewers as one of the most well constructed book musicals in Broadway history.

Guys and Dolls has had several successful Broadway revivals and tours, and is one of the most produced shows worldwide. The Broadway Junior version has the approval of the author's estate and was first produced in 1998.

SCENE 1

FUGUE FOR TINHORNS

[Nicely, Benny, Rusty Charlie, opt. Ensemble]

FOLLOW THE FOLD

[Sarah and the Mission Band]

THE OLDEST ESTABLISHED

[Nicely, Benny, Nathan and Crapshooters]

SCENE 2

I'LL KNOW

[Sarah and Sky]

SCENE 3

A BUSHEL AND A PECK

[Adelaide and Dolls]

ADELAIDE'S LAMENT

[Adelaide]

SCENE 4

GUYS AND DOLLS

[Nicely, Benny, opt. Ensemble]

SCENE 7

IF I WERE A BELL

[Sarah]

SCENE 8

I'VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE

[Sarah and Sky]

SCENE 9

ADELAIDE'S SECOND LAMENT

[Adelaide]

SCENE 11

LUCK BE A LADY

[Sky, Crapshooters]

SCENE 13

SIT DOWN YOU'RE ROCKIN' THE BOAT

[Nicely, Ensemble]

SCENE 14

MARRY THE MAN TODAY

[Adelaide, Sarah]

SCENE 15

THE HAPPY ENDING

[The Company]

NATHAN DETROIT

Nathan Detroit needn't be a great singer, but should be a good actor with excellent comic timing.

ADELAIDE

Adelaide needn't be a great singer, but must have a strong character voice and a good sense of pitch. She needs to be able to do a New York accent and have good comic timing.

SKY MASTERSON

Sky Masterson is the quintessential, smooth as velvet Broadway gambler. He needn't be a great singer, but MUST be able to own the stage in "Luck Be a Lady."

SARAH BROWN

Sarah Brown is the girl next door with a more adventurous side that's waiting to get out. She must be an excellent singer and a good actor.

ARVIDE ABERNATHY

Arvide Abernathy is Sarah's grandfather. May also be cast as a girl, changing to Sarah's grandmother.

BENNY SOUTHSTREET

Benny Southstreet is a gambler.

RUSTY CHARLIE

Rusty Charlie is a gambler.

HARRY THE HORSE

Harry the Horse is a gambler.

LT. BRANNIGAN

Lt. Brannigan is a New York City cop.

GENERAL CARTWRIGHT

General Cartwright is head of the Save-a-Soul mission.

BIG JULE

Big Jule is a very tough, gun-toting gangster from Chicago.

MIMI

Mimi is a doll.

ANGIE THE OX

Angie the Ox is a gambler.

GUYS

Guys - The rest of your male ensemble (except for the mission band) can be cast as "guys." They are the crapshooters, gamblers, workers, New York City folks of all types.

DOLLS

Dolls - The Dolls are your Hot Box girls and other ensemble females. You will want to designate your Hot Box girls as your preferred singers and dancers. Frequently, you will have many more girls than boys audition, so you may want to cast some of your girls as "guys."

MISSION BAND

Mission Band includes Agatha and Calvin. You can fill out the ensemble of your production by adding as many members of the Mission Band as your stage can accommodate.