East Kilbride Light Opera Club - Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls - 1985

Index

History

Guys and Dolls - Synopsis

cover of programme Act I
The story of Guys and Dolls is the story of the gangsters and racketeers to be found in the shady parts of New York, and immortalised by "Damon Runyon" in his stories, one of which "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" forms the basis of this play. Hard-shelled but basically soft hearted, these characters are led by Nathan Detroit. He is the guy, who with his two henchmen or should we say "yes men", Benny and Nicely Nicely, always manages to find a place for the illicit crap games which really take the place of religion in their lives. Miss Adelaide, Nathan's long- suffering fiancee of 14 years, sings in the Hot Box Night Club, and she hates the crap games just as much as Lt. Brannigan, the cop who always tries to foil Nathan's efforts. Into this atmosphere comes Sister Sarah Brown, leader of the Save a Soul Mission to urge them into leading better lives. She is trying hard to succeed but finds the going hard and the big gun of The Mission, General Cartwright, informs her that unless things improve quickly, the branch must close down.

Sky Masterson, the greatest gambler of them all, is in town and Nathan, desperately in need of 1,000 dollars to hire a place from Joey Biltmore for the game, bets Sky a thousand that he canot take any doll of his choosing to Havana. Sky willingly accepts, but when Nathan points out Sarah as the girl, he has his doubts. Using his charm and promising in return to provide 12 sinners for the Mission he finally succeeds and to save the Mission Sarah goes with him to Havana.

Strange things happen to Sarah in Havana, but on their return they both realise they love each other. Meanwhile the Guys have been using the Mission in her absence and everything is spoiled when Lt. Brannigan raids the Mission. Sarah blames herself for going to Havana and Sky is left despondent.

Act II
We open at The Hot Box Night Club where Miss Adelaide and her Dolls entertain the customers. Sarah's grandfather Arvide - an old campaigner - tries to console her and convince her that love is the only thing that matters. Meanwhile Nathan having lost his bet with Sky is forced to run the crap game in the only place left, 'a sewer". Harry the Horse has brought a special customer along. Big Jule, and just as an argument about Jule's special dice is developing, Nicely and Sky arrive. Sky soon settles Big Jule and offers to play dice with the men. If he loses they each get a thousand bucks, if they lose they must attend the midnight meeting at the Mission- he wins the game. Nathan had been forced to agree, by Lt. Brannigan's appearance at an akward time, to elope with Adelaide that night and once more he has to break his promise to go to the prayer meeting. The Guys keep their bargain and the Mission is saved. General Cartwright is overjoyed to hear so many evil testimonies.

Adelaide and Sarah meet by chance and decide on a strategy to get their guys and the happy ending is in sight.

Some Pictures

Guys and Dolls - 1985
by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Ltd

Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows

Production Team
Producer - Jack Tait
Musical Director - S. Gordon Lang
Choreographer - Irene McMillan

Cast
Sky Masterson - Craig Lundie
Miss Adelaide - Claire Johnston
Nathan Detroit - Tom Johnston
Nicely-Nicely Johnson - David Maule
Benny Southstreet - Robert Kirkham
Rusty Charlie - Ronnie McPhee
Sarah Brown - Frances Taylor
Arvide Abernathy - Peter King
General Matilda B. Cartwright - Carole Alston
Harry the Horse - Robbie Crawford
Lt. Brannigan - Peter Nevans
Big Jule - Peter Blair
Hot Box Master of Ceremonies - Bob Mills
Joey Biltmore - Harry Sheridan
Drunk - Jim Kirkpatrick

The Guys
Brandy Bottle Bates - Bill Ginn
Angie the Ox - Bruce Arthur
Deadwood Dick - Alistair Campbell
The Greek - Bill Struthers
Hot Herbie - Jim Kirkpatrick
Scranton Slim - Paul Keenan
Society Max - Bob Mills

Mission Band
Susan Struthers, Marion McFadyen, Graham Brown.

Dolls
Isobel Davidson, Carol Edison, Aileen Finlay, Elizabeth Rennie, Morag Wilson.

Mission Dolls
Frances Doyle, Marylin Maxwell, Eileen Montgomery

Dancing Dolls
Morag Arthur, Dorothy Bedford, Sandra Goodfellow, Margaret Hay, Lori McElroy, Susan O'Brien, Mairi Steele, Lynne Torkington.

Stage Manager - Jim Caullay
Club Accompanist - Nan McKechnie
Lighting - Carrick McGhie
Property Mistress - Susan Struthers
Wardrobe Mistress - Anna McGillivray
Leader of Orchestra - Andrew Wilson
Prompter - Isa Hornal

Performance Details
4th March - 9th March 1985
The Village Theatre,
East Kilbride

Synopsis of Scenes

Act I
Scene 1 - Broadway
Scene 2 - Interior of the Save-A-Soul Mission
Scene 3 - A Phone Booth
Scene 4 - The Hot Box Night Club
Scene 5 - Off Broadway
Scene 6 - Exterior of the Mission. Noon, the next day
Scene 7 - Off Broadway
Scene 8 - Havana, Cuba
Scene 9 - Outside El Cafe Cubana. Immediately following
Scene 10 - Exterior of Mission

Act II
Scene 1 - The Hot Box Night Club
Scene 2 - Forty Eighth Street
Scene 3 - Crap Game, in the Sewer
Scene 4 - Off Broadway
Scene 5 - Interior of the Save-A-Soul Mission
Scene 6 - Near Times Square
Scene 7 - Broadway

Musical Synopsis

Act I
Overture
"Runyonland"
"Fugue for Tinhorns" - Nicely-Nicely, Benny and Rusty Charlie
"Follow the Fold" - Sarah, Arvide, and Mission Group
"The Oldest Established Permanently Floating Crap Game in New York" - Nathan, Nicely-Nicely, Benny and Crapshooters
"I'll Know" - Sarah and Sky
"A Bushel and a Peck" - Adelaide and Hot Box Dolls
"Adelaide's Lament" - Adelaide
"Guys and Dolls" - Nicely and Benny
"Havana" - Sarah, Sky and the Dancers
"If I were a Bell" - Sarah
"My Time of Day" - Sky
"I've Never Been in Love Before" - Sarah and Sky

Act II
"Take Back Your Mink" - Adelaide and Dolls
"Adelaide's Second Lament" - Adelaide
"More I Cannot Wish You" - Arvide
The Crapshooters Dance - Guys
"Luck be a Lady" - Sky and Crapshooters
"Sue Me" - Adelaide and Nathan
"Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" - Nicely and Chorus
"Follow the Fold" - Chorus
"Marry the Man Today" - Sarah and Adelaide
"Guys and Dolls" - Guys and Dolls (All of them)