About Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick the Winner." Premiering on Broadway in 1950, it ran for 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and has had several Broadway revivals as well as West End productions.

A 1955 film starred Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine.

The musical premiered on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24, 1950. It was directed by George S. Kaufman, with dances and musical numbers by Michael Kidd, scenic and lighting design by Jo Mielziner, costumes by Alvin Colt, and orchestrations by George Bassman and Ted Royal. It starred Robert Alda, Sam Levene, Isabel Bigley, and Vivian Blaine. The musical ran for 1,200 performances, winning five 1951 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical. Decca Records issued an original cast recording on LP; it was later reissued on CD by MCA.

The London premiere opened at the London Coliseum on May 28, 1953 and ran for 555 performances. The cast starred Vivian Blaine, Sam Levene, Lizbeth Webb and Jerry Wayne. Lizbeth Webb was the only major principal who was British and was chosen to play the part of Sarah Brown by Frank Loesser.

The show has had numerous revivals and tours and has become a popular choice for school and community theatre productions