EMU Theatre: Guys Doin It Just for the Dolls Since 1950

These celebrities share something in common with countless drama clubs, community theatres, local theatres, and *ah hem* EMU Theatre!...

These celebrities have starred in the American Musical Theatre staple, Guys and Dolls which will be presented by EMU Theatre April 13-21. Since its 1950 premiere in New York City, Guys and Dolls has taken performance art by storm and is ripping through the Quirk Theatre.

The music and lyrics of Guys and Dolls were written by Frank Loesser (also known for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying). The songs leave you with a pep in your step or a catchy ballad in your head. And all of this is heightened by the glitz & glamour and sensational music.

Frank Loesser

Music I can wish you

Merry music while you're young

And wisdom when your hair has turned to gray.

Guys and Dolls premiered November 24th, 1950 and ran for 12 hundred performances. It swept the 1951 Tony Awards by winning five awards including Best Musical.

Stubby Kaye as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in 1950

In 1953 Guys and Dolls had its West-End premiere at the London Coliseum and is a popular choice for drama clubs and community theatres in Europe! Isn't that lovely?

Guys and Dolls spread widely throughout Pop Culture in 1955 when it was featured as a film starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. The musical added Luck Be a Lady as a signature in Sinatra's repertoire.

The musical has since been revived in London and New York nearly twice a decade while gathering a rather impressive Rolodex of notable performers taking a chance with Guys and Dolls.

The story follows two couples and their struggles towards commitment. A combination of underground gambling, expectations in regards to commitment, mixed in with the Jazz era and you get one illuminating glimpse into a lifestyle that is now a novelty.