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Guys and Dolls more than any other musical produced in the early 1950's epitomized the new stature of the American musical comedy as a form of dramatic art. Drama critics and historians offered as proof the increased literary merits of the librettos as well as the public's willingness to support musicals with serious themes. The transition from the silly fairy tale plots of such shows as Sally and Irene into the serious books of Oklahoma! and South Pacific had been a very gradual one and in a sense Guys and Dolls recapitulated the history of the American musical theatre, for it not only embodied all the assets of the earlier hit musicals but also included the innovations in plot and music integration characteristic of the better productions of the 30's and 40's. Conservative critics called Guys and Dolls an excellent show, while more effusive ones hailed it as the greatest musical ever presented on the Broadway stage. Even in the 1960's historians considered the two most distinguished American musical dramas to be My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls.
Before the show opened, rumours circulated that it would be a hit because it was based on the Idyll Of Sarah Brown by Damon Runyon, long a favourite of those who enjoyed stories about the Broadway scene. Several of Runyon's stories had been made into successful motion pictures, and the success was more remarkable because he limited himself to such a small section of Manhattan. None of his stories had yet been adapted for the stage.
When Guys and Dolls opened in Philadelphia it was a sell out from the very start, even though it offered no star names that would attract box office sales. Some critics felt the show was ready for Broadway but the producers preferred to keep it out of New York for additional work. This added extra costs, which would normally have caused the tryouts to loose money. Guys and Dolls continued, however, to make money. After three weeks at one theatre in Philadelphia it was moved to another theatre in the same city for an additional three weeks and during the entire six weeks, while playing to capacity houses, it underwent constant polishing and strengthening. When the show opened in New York at the 46th Street Theatre, on November 12th 1950 it had achieved the tight co
ordination that made its premiere one of the most memorable in the history of the musical theatre. The dull spots, if there ever were any, had disappeared. While the book was based loosely on one Runyon story, characters from others had been added and in addition to these characters the show also featured gamblers, Salvation Army workers and nightclub chorus girls. These all helped to move the action along at a fast pace, from scene to scene from the opening cross section of typical Broadway characters, to the surprise conclusion ending with a witty gag. The songs and dances helped to accelerate the tempo, and the result was a hugely successful musical.
The New York production ran for 1200 performances and originally starred Alan Alda as Sky, Vivian Blaine as Adelaide, Sam Levene as Nathan, Isabel Bigley as Sarah and Stubby Kaye as Nicely Nicely. Before the end of the run all these had left the cast, but the show continued to play successfully and is one of the few Broadway musicals to pass the 1,000 performance mark. During this long run it is said to have grossed $12 million. The show won the Critics Circle Award as best musical of the year despite very serious competition from The King and I. The show had a less lengthy run in London where it opened at the Coliseum Theatre on May 28th 1953 playing for 555 performances. In London the cast included Jerry Wayne as Sky, Vivian Blaine as Adelaide, Sam Levene as Nathan, Lizbeth Webb as Sarah and Stubby Kaye as Nicely Nicely.
The show was made into a feature film in 1955 starring Marlon Brando as Sky, Frank Sinatra as Nathan, Jean Simmons as Sarah and Vivian Blaine as Adelaide, It was successful but received much criticism for cutting some of the original numbers, adding three new ones (which were of inferior quality) and the casting was also called in question.
In London the show received renewed popularity when the National Theatre revived it on March 9th 1982 in the Olivier Auditorium. The cast featured the late Ian Charleson as Sky, Julie Covington as Sarah, Julia McKenzie as Adelaide and Bob Hoskins as Nathan. The run was so successful it was transferred into the west end and then onto a lengthy national tour. There has since been another hugely successful Broadway revival.
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