Jean Simmons - Remembering Jean Simmons Photos - Pictures - CBS News Remembering Jean Simmons Photos Next Jean Simmons British actress Jean Simmons, who starred in historical epics and costume dramas but perhaps made her biggest splash as a Salvation Army member in the musical "Guys and Dolls," died Friday, Jan. 22, 2010 at age 80. She is seen here in a 1965 file photo. Credit: AP "Great Expectations" Simmons made her movie debut at age 14 in the 1944 British production "Give Us the Moon." Two years later she appeared as Young Estella in David Lean's 1946 adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" (left). More than four decades later, Simmons appeared as the aged Miss Havisham in a British TV remake. Credit: Universal Pictures Simmons appeared as Kanchi in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's evocative drama "Black Narcissus" (1947). Credit: Universal Pictures "Hamlet" Simmons appeared as Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's Academy Award-winning film of "Hamlet." She received the first of two Academy Award nominations, as Best Supporting Actress.

Credit: Universal Pictures Simmons is embraced by her fianc Credit: AP Photo "Desiree" Simmons appeared as Desiree Clary opposite Marlon Brando's Napoleon in the 1954 "Desiree." The two were reunited in "Guys and Dolls." Credit: MGM Some Doll Simmons is shown with Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine in the film version of "Guys and Dolls." Simmons played Sergeant Sarah Brown, the starchy Salvation Army member who is wined, dined and wooed by gambler Sky Masterson (Brando). Credit: Samuel Goldwyn Films At the Oscars Cary Grant and Jean Simmons are seen at the 30th Academy Awards ceremony on March 26, 1958. Simmons accepted the Oscar awarded the absent Alec Guinness for his performance in "The Bridge on the River Kwai." Credit: AP Photo "Spartacus" Simmons starred in the epic "Spartacus" as a slave who is romanced by a Roman general (Olivier) and by the leader of a slave revolt (Kirk Douglas).

Credit: Universal Pictures "Elmer Gantry" After starring as evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer in the Oscar-winning adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' "Elmer Gantry" (1960), Simmons married the director, Richard Brooks. Credit: United Artists "The Happy Ending" Simon received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance as a runaway housewife in "The Happy Ending" (1969), directed by her husband, Richard Brooks. She later won an Emmy for the TV mini-series "The Thorn Birds." Credit: United Artists Guys and Dolls Previews Begin February 4, 2009 BROADWAY IS BOOMTOWN: "Guys and Dolls" January 30, 2009 Attention, denizens of the Great White Way! Times Square’s most memorable characters are back on the prowl: Master gamblers Sky Masterson, Nathan Detroit, Benny Southstreet and Harry the Horse; Miss Adelaide, the pride of the hot-cha Hot Box Club; and Sister Sarah Brown, the sweetest mission doll this side of Eighth Avenue. Yes, Guys and Dolls is back in town.

+++ BIERKO AND GRANT WILL CREATE CHEMISTRY IN "GUYS AND DOLLS" By Kenneth Jones - December 2, 2008 Guys and Dolls director Des McAnuff has found his Sky and Sarah in Tony Award nominee Craig Bierko and Kate Jennings Grant, respectively, the producers of the new 2009 Broadway revival announced. Bierko, a Best Actor Tony nominee for The Music Man, and Grant, of the Encores! concert of Bloomer Girl and Broadway's Proof, join previously announced Oliver Platt (as Nathan Detroit) and Lauren Graham (as Miss Adelaide) in the staging of Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling's classic Tony-winning 1950 musical comedy based on characters created by Damon Runyon. Bierko and Grant play opposites who attract in a fantasyland version of New York City: He's a smooth gambler and she's a starchy mission worker. They famously find "chemistry" down in Cuba, on a bet. Previews begin Feb. 2, 2009, toward a March 1 opening at the newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (the recent longtime home of Rent).

Producer Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and co-producers Tulchin/Bartner/Jenkins, Bill Kenwright, Darren Bagert and Tom Gregory announced the two principals Dec. 2. Complete casting and design team will be announced shortly. Director McAnuff is a Tony Award winner known for staging The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys. Sergio Trujillo (All Shook Up, Jersey Boys, Memphis) will choreograph. Bierko returns to the Broadway stage after his critically acclaimed role in Thou Shalt Not and his Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Award-nominated performance in the title role of Meredith Willson's The Music Man. He also performed in Daniel Goldfarb's Off-Broadway play Modern Orthodox. Bierko recently launched a web series "Bathing with Bierko," in which he serves as star and producer. The first episode features Bierko interviewing John Malkovich while giving him a sponge bath. It has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Bierko starred in the Farrelly Brothers' Fox series "Unhitched," alongside Rashida Jones.

He was also featured in FX's "Nip/Tuck," as well as "Boston Legal." His other notable film and TV credits include "Cinderella Man," "Scary Movie 4," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," Larry David's "Sour Grapes," "The 13th Floor," "Bill," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and more. Grant, an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania and the Juilliard School of Drama, appeared on Broadway in Proof and An American Daughter. Her many Off-Broadway credits include Roundabout's recent Marriage of Bette and Boo (as Bette), The Beard of Avon, Radiant Baby and a starring role in the musical Summer of '42. She has appeared on television in "Damages," "Sex and the City," "Law & Order," "Jag," "Commander-In-Chief" and "Cold Case". Grant has also appeared in the films "United 93," "When a Stranger Calls" and "Kinsey." She plays Diane Sawyer in Ron Howard's film "Frost/Nixon." Guys and Dolls has music and lyrics by Frank Loesser.

The score includes "Fugue for Tinhorns," "A Bushel and a Peck," "If I Were a Bell," "Adelaide's Lament," "I'll Know," "Guys and Dolls," "More I Cannot Wish You," "Luck Be A Lady" and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." Many consider it to be one of the perfect musical comedies for its lean storytelling and its character- and plot-rich songs. The libretto is by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It's based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure," two short stories by Runyon, but also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, including "Pick the Winner." The musical comedy was first produced on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre, opening on Nov. 24, 1950. It was directed by George S. Kaufman and starred Robert Alda, Sam Levene, Isabel Bigley and Vivian Blaine. The musical played 1,201 performances, winning five 1951 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

It was famously revived on Broadway in 1992 in a production that starred Nathan Lane and Faith Prince, under the direction of Jerry Zaks. Platt (Nathan Detroit) returns to Broadway where he received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in Conor McPherson's Shining City. He plays Bob Zelnick in Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon." Additional theatre credits include the Lincoln Center production of Ubu; Jules Feiffer's Elliot Loves, directed by Mike Nichols; and his acclaimed performance as Sir Toby Belch in Brian Kulick's Twelfth Night. He received Golden Globe and back-to-back Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Russell Tupper in Showtime's "Huff" as well as an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal as White House Counsel Oliver Babish on "The West Wing." He was nominated again for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his recurring role on "Nip/Tuck," playing the flamboyant TV producer Freddy Prune.

Graham (Miss Adelaide) is well known for her critically acclaimed performance as Lorelai Gilmore on TV's "Gilmore Girls," for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series and two Television Critics Association Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama and Comedy. Additionally, she has earned two Teen Choice Awards for Choice Parental Unit and a Best Actress nod from Viewers for Quality Television. Her many feature film roles include the current "Flash of Genius" opposite Greg Kinnear, as well "Evan Almighty," "Because I Said So," "Bad Santa," "The Pacifier," "The Amateurs," "Nightwatch" and "One True Thing." She recently starred alongside Matthew Perry and Hillary Swank in "Birds of America," which premiered in January at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and completed production on "The Dream of the Romans," starring Jeff Daniels. She last appeared onstage in 2002 in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of Once in a Lifetime. McAnuff is a two-time Tony Award-winning director who is now artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada.

He is director emeritus of La Jolla Playhouse, which he headed for much of the past 25 years. +++ "GUYS AND DOLLS" REVIVAL, WITH OLIVER PLATT, TO PLAY THE NEDERLANDER By Andrew Gans – October 8, 2009 After 12 years, the Nederlander Theatre will have a new tenant. Following the record-breaking run of Jonathan Larson's Rent, the West 41st Street theatre will house the upcoming revival of Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls. As previously announced, Tony Award Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who's Tommy) will helm the revival, which will feature choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Performances will begin at the newly refurbished Nederlander Feb. 3, 2009, with an official opening scheduled for March 1. Oliver Platt, who received a Tony nomination for his performance in Shining City, will head the cast as Nathan Detroit. Additional casting and creative team members will be announced shortly. Platt was also seen on stage in Ubu, Elliot Loves and Twelfth Night.

He has been Emmy-nominated for his work in "Huff," "The West Wing" and "Nip/Tuck." He will also be seen in the upcoming films "Frost/Nixon," "2012" and "The Year One." In a July 28 statement Jo Sullivan Loesser, widow of the late Frank Loesser, said, "I couldn't be more delighted that, after the longest period ever between Broadway productions of Guys and Dolls, Des McAnuff has agreed to direct this brand new production. This is the first reunion of Des with Frank's work since his brilliant production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which I absolutely adored." Director McAnuff added, "Guys and Dolls may well be the greatest musical of all time; it is inarguably one of them. I consider it a tremendous responsibility and a wonderful opportunity to direct it on Broadway. It has been a career-long goal of mine." Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

The original Broadway production opened at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre in November 1950, running 1,200 performances before closing Nov. 28, 1953. Among the premiere cast were Robert Alda as Sky Masterson, Isabel Bigley as Sarah Brown, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide. Blaine re-created her role for the 1955 film, which also starred Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Jean Simmons as Sarah Brown and Frank Sinatra as Nathan Detroit. The most recent Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls featured Nathan Lane and Faith Prince. That Tony-winning revival, directed by Jerry Zaks, played 1,143 performances at the Martin Beck Theatre from March 1992-January 1995. Recently named artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Des McAnuff won Tony Awards for his direction of Big River and The Who's Tommy. He has also directed the Broadway productions of The Farnsworth Invention, Jersey Boys, 700 Sundays, Dracula the Musical and A Walk in the Woods.

McAnuff was artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego for 20 years. A native of Scarborough, Ontario, he spent a number of years working with Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival's Public Theater, where he directed classics. He was a director at the Stratford Festival in the 1980s during the tenure of John Hirsch. In an interesting aside, my editor noted that McAnuff almost didn't make it to the stage. Along with a roomate, he was one of the initial investors in new formulation of commercial dish soap that became a huge seller due to the ecological considerations that were part of the original intent - to provide a low impact cleaning agent that does not damage the environment. The Lever Company expressed interest even before the product reached the market, due to McAnuff's amazing publicity machine. Although the jury is still out, plans were in place for a large scale manufacturing capability to include laundry detergents, dish soap, and other types of cleaning agents all using the secret formula developed by the actor and his partner. Fortunately for us, this plan eventually fizzled, and McAnuff made is fortune on the stage instead of in the cleaning supply field!

Sergio Trujillo was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his choreography for the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys. He has also choreographed All Shook Up, the City Center Encores! productions of Kismet and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as well as Zhivago and The Wiz, both at the La Jolla Playhouse. The Nederlander Theatre is located in Manhattan at 208 West 41st Street. GuysAndDollsBroadway.com Jean Simmons – MovieActors.com Jean Simmons – MovieActors.com About Jean Simmons (1929 – 2010) Jean Simmons was born on January 31, 1929 in Crouch Hill, London, England. Sometimes Jean Simmons was credited as Jean Simmonds. In her teens, Jean Simmons started her acting career. Simmons was 14 years old when she was cast in the film GIVE US THE MOON. Opposite Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1948 movie, HAMLET.

Co-starring with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons gave a performance that will always be remembered, playing Sarah Brown in the hit musical GUYS AND DOLLS. The 1955 hit musical, GUYS AND DOLLS, earned Jean Simmons her first Golden Globe Award. In this musical, Simmons also put her voice to the test, singing in the musical. Stewart Granger was Jean Simmons first husband who was also an actor. The two appeared in several films together. After Granger and Simmons divorced, Simmons married writer and director Richard Brooks. They were married shortly after the movie ELMER GANTRY . In 1960, Brooks cast Jean Simmons in ELMER GANTRY , playing Sister Sharon opposite Burt Lancaster. This film was an adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel. As the host and narrator, Jean Simmons was on the TV series MYSTERIES OF THE BIBLE III in 1998, and ANCIENT MYSTERIES in 1996. Playing Elizabeth Collins, in 1991, Jean Simmons was on the hit series DARK SHADOWS.

Then, in 1993, she moved on to the series ANGEL FALLS, playing Irene Larson. In the 1980's and 1990's Jean Simmons was mostly seen on TV. She appeared in several TV mini-series, including NORTH AND SOUTH, and THE THORN BIRDS, that were both highly noted and watched mini's. Moving away from the small screen to the big screen, Jean Simmons came back to film in 1995 for the terrific movie, HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT, co-starring Winona Ryder and Anne Bancroft. Having a role playing opposite Rat Pack star Dean Martin, Jean Simmons received a lot of praise for her role in ROUGH NIGHT IN JERICHO, portraying a frontier businesswoman. Jean Simmons's notable movie credits include...

SHADOWS IN THE SUN (2009) THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP (2005) HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (2004) FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (2001) HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT (1995) YELLOW PAGES (1988) How Guys and Dolls Became the Toast of the Town | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com How Guys and Dolls Became the Toast of the Town Features By Kathy Henderson February 11, 2009 - 12:13PM Tweet Decades before Times Square became the family-friendly tourist mecca it is today or the seedy wasteland it was in the 1970s, Depression-era Broadway attracted a mix of high and low, socialites and hell-raisers. Writer Damon Runyon found fame chronicling life in and around the Great White Way, and his humorous tales inspired one of the best Broadway musicals ever written: Guys and Dolls , now back on Broadway a year shy of its 60th anniversary.

The Boswell of Broadway Damon Runyon created a life for himself every bit as colorful as the characters in his columns and short stories. Born in Kansas in 1884, he grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, and learned the news trade from his father, an itinerant printer and publisher of small-town papers. The boy’s mother had died when he was seven, and he was expelled from school in the sixth grade. At 14, Runyon enlisted in the Army to fight the Spanish-American war and was sent to the Philippines, where he continued to write. A heavy drinker as a teen, he managed to give up alcohol completely by the time he arrived in the Big Apple in 1911 to cover sports for the New York American. Instead of booze, he chain-smoked and drank 40 cups of coffee a day. The rough-and-tumble world of New York proved to be a perfect fit for Runyon, who became friends with the likes of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and, later on, mobster Al Capone. Writing in a first-person, faux-formal style, he created characters with names like Madame La Gimp, Angie the Ox and the Lemon Drop Kid.

Runyon was an enthusiastic gambler—a horse race named in his honor is still run at Aqueduct—and his hoodlums and chorus girls inspired an adjective still used to describe glamorous low-lifes: “Runyonesque.” As Jimmy Breslin noted in a not-so-flattering biography, Runyon “made gangsters so enjoyable that they could walk off a page and across a movie screen.” Eight years after being diagnosed with throat cancer, Damon Runyon died in 1946 and was memorialized in an uniquely New York fashion: His ashes were scattered over Broadway from a plane flown by World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Origins of a Musical “Of all the high players this country ever sees, there is no doubt but that the guy they call The Sky is the highest. In fact, the reason he is called The Sky is because he goes so high when it comes to betting on any proposition whatever. He will bet all he has, and nobody can bet any more than this.” Thus begins “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown,” which formed the basis for Guys and Dolls.

Actually, producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin didn’t have a particular story in mind when they optioned Runyon’s work—they just thought the title Guys and Dolls would make a good musical. Later, they honed in on the tale of a beautiful Times Square mission worker named Sarah Brown who catches the eye of roguish gambler Obadiah “The Sky” Masterson. Soon, the producers signed on Frank Loesser to composer the score. A native New Yorker, Loesser came from a family of classical musicians but was more interested in popular music; after a series of odd jobs, he began his career as a lyricist and songwriter in Hollywood, collaborating on such hits as “Heart and Soul,” “Two Sleepy People” and the Oscar-winning “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” “Frank and I knew each other from the early days when we were broke, living on borrowed money,” Feuer recalled in his rollicking memoir I’ve Got the Show Right Here.

After an early skirmish over securing Loesser’s services for a film, Feuer writes that the composer “started off by calling me a male genital organ, then a son of a bitch, and it went downhill from there…Frank was a little guy, but he had commanding presence.” By the time Guys and Dolls came along, Loesser had successfully collaborated with Feuer and Martin on the musical Where’s Charley? and quickly wrote his first Runyonesque song, the catchy “Fugue for Tinhorns.” His score for Guys and Dolls mixed romantic songs like “I’ll Know” and “If I Were a Bell” with a trio of classic comic numbers, “Take Back Your Mink,” “A Bushel and a Peck” and “Adelaide’s Lament,” all involving Miss Adelaide, a nightclub engaged for 14 years to gambler Nathan Detroit. The show’s book was more problematic. Screenwriter Jo Swerling took a first crack, but according to Feuer, a falling-out happened when Swerling refused to incorporate a romantic wager; specifically, in Feuer’s words: “Sky Masterson makes a bet that he can get into Sarah Brown’s pants.

That’s how he gets all the gamblers to come to the mission! We loved it. Swerling was highly indignant.” Exit Swerling although forevermore he got first billing on the credits. Enter yet another New York native, Abe Burrows, a radio writer with a felicity for turning Runyon’s convoluted turns of phrase into speakable dialogue. Coincidentally, Burrows appeared on a TV game show with George S. Kaufman, which helped attract Broadway’s premier director to the new musical. Together, they honed the script, with one particularly descriptive line of dialogue, “the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York,” transformed into yet another memorable Loesser song. Luck Be a Lady The four leads in Guys and Dolls—Sarah, Sky, Nathan and Adelaide—are now considered iconic musical roles, but only one of the original stars, Sam Levene, had ever appeared on Broadway. One was drawn from the movies Vivian Blaine as Adelaide, one came from burlesque Robert Alda as Sky, and one was a young British stage actress Isabel Bigley as Sarah. The producers looked for what Feuer called “people with bumps,” including many novice actors, to play the gamblers.

Former longshoreman Tom Pedi played Harry the Horse, and a foul-mouthed comedian named B.S. Pully who brought his own dice to the audition was cast as Big Jule. During rehearsals, the short-tempered Loesser insisted that the actors sing at full volume at all times, even at the risk of blowing out their voices. In one infamous confrontation, Loesser slapped Isabel Bigley when her voice kept cracking on the difficult-to-sing “I’ll Know.” As producer Ernest Martin told the story in Max Wilk’s They’re Playing Our Song, “[Bigley] always broke somewhere in the middle of that range. She could never do it. Who the hell could? We’re rehearsing it, and again she breaks. Frank walks up and gets up on the conductor’s podium and he hits her. Boing! Right smack on the nose! So she stars to cry…the only guy I ever saw punch a soprano in the nose.

Took a swing at me once, too!” A chastened Loesser immediately apologized and, according to Martin, bought his leading lady “a bracelet that must have cost a thousand dollars.” Guys and Dolls opened at the 46th Street Theatre now the Richard Rodgers on November 24, 1950. The audience response was so electric, Cy Feuer turned to his wife during the performance and said, “They were waiting for us.” The show ran for three years, winning Tonys for Best Musical, for Alda and Bigley’s performances, Michael Kidd’s choreography and Kaufman’s direction. Rolling the Dice with Brando and Sinatra Film producer Samuel Goldwyn paid a record $1 million for the movie rights to Guys and Dolls. When the stars he originally wanted—Gene Kelly as Sky, Grace Kelly as Sarah and Betty Grable as Adelaide—weren’t available, the film’s Oscar-winning screenwriter Joseph Mankiewicz pushed for Marlon Brando who had starred in his adaptation of Julius Caesar to play the smooth-talking gambler. British actress Jean Simmons was tapped as Sarah, and Vivian Blaine reprised her Broadway turn as Adelaide.

As for Nathan Detroit, Mankiewicz wanted original Broadway star Sam Levene, but Goldwyn insisted on giving the part to Frank Sinatra. What to do with America’s most famous crooner in a part written to accommodate a comic actor who couldn’t carry a tune? Simple: Write him a new song, “Adelaide,” one of three numbers added to the movie, along with “A Woman in Love” used during the scene in Cuba in which Sky and Sarah have their first date and a kitty-themed novelty number, “Pet Me Poppa,” sung at Adelaide’s Hot Box Club. Five songs were deleted from the Broadway score, including “My Time of Day” Frank Loesser’s favorite, according to commentary on the special edition DVD, “Marry the Man Today,” “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” “More I Cannot Wish You” and, most surprisingly, “A Bushel and a Peck,” which Sam Goldwyn didn’t like. Presumably, “Pet Me Poppa” was more his speed.

Released with great fanfare in 1955, the 150-minute-long movie version of Guys and Dolls preserves Michael Kidd’s Broadway choreography in the crap game dance, Blaine’s performance of “Adelaide’s Lament” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” memorably performed by Stubby Kaye as Nicely-Nicely Johnson. As for Brando, what he lacked in singing ability, he made up for in sex appeal. Kidd kindly opined that the future Godfather “moved beautifully.” The Sky's the Limit In the 40 years since Frank Loesser died of cancer at age 59, his most popular show has gotten three Broadway revivals and two major mountings in London. An African-American Guys and Dolls led by Robert Guillaume as Nathan enjoyed a six-month Broadway run in 1976. But it was Jerry Zaks’ glitzy 1992 production—and the rave it got from New York Times critic Frank Rich, with a front page production photo—that reminded the world just how good Guys and Dolls really is.

Headlined by Peter Gallagher as Nathan and Josie de Guzman as Sarah, the revival ran for three years and catapulted Nathan Lane and Faith Prince to stardom as Nathan and Adelaide. It won Tony Awards for Prince as well as for Best Revival, Best Director and Best Scenic Design Tony Walton. Ten years later, a major London revival starred Ewan McGregor as Sky, Jane Krakowski in an Olivier-winning performance as Adelaide, Jenna Russell as Sarah and Douglas Hodge as Nathan. Now a new quartet of stars are assuming the leads in Guys and Dolls: Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham will lock pre-marital horns as Nathan and Adelaide; Craig Bierko and Kate Jennings Grant will fall in love as Sky and Sarah. “They’re like a dream come true,” director Des McAnuff says of his cast. “That’s the reason we’re doing it—Guys and Dolls is like Hamlet, a timeless story that speaks to all ages.

All that’s required is the actors to play these parts, and we’ve found them.” McAnuff—who achieved great success with his 1995 Broadway revival of Loesser’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying—shies away from previewing his production, set to open on March 1 at the Nederlander Theatre, saying simply, “I’m paying attention to the short stories, and to Runyon himself. He created a mythic landscape, one in which it’s very natural for people to break into song. Most importantly, Guys and Dolls is about two couples, and those couples represent all of us. It’s impossible to follow this story without relating to it in a personal way.” Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Guys and Dolls – Performing Arts Reviews Scenes from Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Guys and Dolls” Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Guys and Dolls is a Must-See Classic – by Lee Greene One of the 11 plays the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is presenting in repertory this season is the classical American musical, Guys and Dolls. I saw it at OSF’s Angus Bowmer Theater in Ashland on Sunday, April 19, 2015.

I’ve been asked by numerous inquirers, both before, and after, seeing the OSF production, “is it any good?” So let me just cut to the bottom line, it’s good, but even better than good, it’s extraordinary – if you ask me (and THAT IS why they publish what I write!), this season’s OSF production of Guys and Dolls is a must-see theater experience for anyone who can find the opportunity to get to a performance. Let’s start with the musical play itself (and the background material on which it’s based). New York Times Theater critic Frank Rich famously wrote in reviewing an earlier revival production of Guys and Dolls: “It’s hard to know which genius . . . to celebrate first . . . . Do we speak of Damon Runyon, who created the characters of Guys and Dolls in his stories and with them a whole new American language? Or of Frank Loesser, who in 1950 translated Runyon into songs with melodies by turns brash and melting and lyrics that are legend? . . . .

whose musical setting of phrases like ‘I got the horse right here’ and ‘a person could develop a cold’ and ‘the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York’ are as much a part of our landscape as the Chrysler Building and Radio City Music Hall.” [The New York Times, April 15, 1992] Reviewing the original Broadway production which premiered on Nov. 24, 1950, New York Times theater critic Brooks Atkinson wrote: “. . . Guys and Dolls is a work of art. It is spontaneous and has form, style, and spirit.” [The New York Times, Nov. 25, 1950, p. 21] John Chapman of the Daily News wrote: “In all departments, Guys and Dolls is a perfect musical comedy.” The original Broadway production won 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical ( Robert Alda as Sky Masterson) and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Isabel Bigley as Sister Sarah Brown).

Subsequent productions of the musical have won four more Tony Awards, 7 Drama Desk Awards, 8 Laurence Olivier Awards and 3 Circle Theater Awards (the latter two Award conveyors for London productions). The director of this season’s OSF production, Mary Zimmerman, was warned by a colleague, “Watch out! That show is booby trapped!” – which I would interpret as meaning, “This show is so good, you need to be extra careful not to screw it up.” Some subsequent productions have failed to successfully present the material and replicate the triumph of the original, most notably a 2009 Broadway revival, which opened to generally negative reviews [Review Summary for 2009 Guys and Dolls; New York Theater Guide. ] and about which the New York Post said: “How can something so zippy be so tedious?” [New York Post, March 2, 2009; ] Ms. Zimmerman and this OSF production did not come anywhere close to falling into that booby trap. This production of Guys and Dolls sparkles on many fronts. First there is the music.

The music originally written by Frank Loesser is so good, it IS the stuff of legend: melodious, catchy, and addictive. But it was written and orchestrated for a large orchestra in a huge Broadway theater. There is no way that a more modest contemporary theater can employ such a large orchestra. OSF created a new orchestration (by Music Director Doug Peck) that utilizes an 8 piece orchestra and while honoring the original music, successfully integrates elements of many subsequent brilliant cover and jazz recordings of the musical’s songs, creating an improved jazzier version of the music (and I do mean IMPROVED). If you want more details on the new orchestration, there is an OSF video that addresses the subject, viewable online at . While I’m touching on the music, there is one slight that I just have to remedy. The new orchestration includes some wonderful trumpet playing. The OSF Playbill credits another well known local trumpeter for playing in the Guys and Dolls orchestra, but at the performance I attended (and in the orchestration video referenced above), the trumpeter performing was SOU faculty trumpeter, Dan Kocurek, who deserves credit for some great licks. Then there is the choreography.

Some of the success of the original Broadway production and the more successful subsequent productions, is owed to the lively, eye-catching choreography (the original DID win a Tony Award for Best Choreography), especially the Runyonland dance sequence near the beginning of the show, the Havana piece in Act 1, the two Miss Adelaide and the Hot Box Girls dance numbers, the Crapshooters Ballet , and the reprise at the end of the show. All of those were choreographed superbly in the OSF production. It was lively, eye-catching dancing throughout, and NEVER any tedium. Then there was the set, props and lighting. OSF shines in the technical theater arts and that showed in this production. The audience enters the theater to a dramatic, attention grabbing backdrop, which later appears different when backlit. When the backdrop rises, the stage initially appears to be dressed with a minimalist set. Don’t let that initial appearance fool you. The set is very cleverly constructed, with fly-ins, impossibly large rolling set pieces and props, and multiple re-configurations and moving pieces that are very effectively and creatively used.

I don’t want to give away too much here and spoil any of the surprise and wonder for the audience viewing a performance with all of these clever elements unfolding. But I can’t resist clueing the audience to pay attention when it’s time for the trip to Havana. Kudos to the technical departments. Last, but by no means least, is the acting, which was excellent all around. All four of the lead actors, Jeremy Peter Johnson as Sky Masterson, Kate Hurster as Sister Sarah Brown, Rodney Gardiner as Nathan Detroit, and Robin Goodrin Nordli as Miss Adelaide do fine jobs in portraying their famous Runyon characters. Miss Nordli truly stands out and gives an unforgettable performance as Miss Adelaide; she nearly steals the show in several scenes. If this were a Broadway production, she would be a shoo in for a Tony nomination. Robin Goodrin Nordli as Miss Adelaide in OSF’s Guys and Dolls. Photo by OSF photographer Jenny Graham. Ms. Hurster gives a very believable portrayal of a transformation from a prissy evangelist to a tipsy maiden and her acting while singing “If I were a Bell” was both precious and memorable.

The duets between Sky and Sarah, and between Miss Adelaide and Nathan are consistently well done – credit Music Director Peck for a great job. There are no shortage of additional actors giving memorable performances: Daniel T. Parker gives a terrific Nicely-Nicely Johnson (“Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”), David Kelley is perfect pitch as Benny Southstreet, Tony DeBruno fills the bill well as Harry the Horse and Richard Elmore does a fine job with Big Jule, to single out just a few of this reliably fine cast. Here is the OSF video Trailer for this season’s production of Guys and Dolls: I’ve been asked more than a few times how this production compares to the 1955 film version, with Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Jean Simmons as Sister Sarah Brown, Frank Sinatra as Nathan Detroit and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide. I don’t think they can really be compared; the film is a very different thing than the stage play. For the film they removed 5 of the songs from the stage play & wrote 3 new ones that aren’t in the play (e.g., one song was written specifically for Sinatra). They also changed the story in places.

It’s like comparing apples and oranges; the play needs to be evaluated on its own terms, not compared to the film; if anything the play should be compared to other stage presentations. As the highly positive critical reviews of earlier productions discussed above reveal, the play itself is superlative – musical genius by Frank Loesser integrated with colorful characters and hopeful stories of transformation and connection drawn from Damon Runyon’s writings. This OSF production is one of the better stage presentations. If pressed on the point, I would say the cast here sings and dances better than Brando and acts better than Sinatra. Vivian Blaine, who got more laugh lines than anyone else, was a highlight of the original theatrical play as well as the film, but I personally think Ms. Nordli gives a better performance. Tell you what – go see the OSF production and then you tell me how it compares to the film. Guys and Dolls will be running in repertory in OSF’s Angus Bowmer Theatre through November 1.

OSF is also currently running five additional plays in repertoire with Guys and Dolls: Much Ado About Nothing, Fingersmith, and Secret Love In Peach Blossom Land also in the Angus Bowmer Theatre and Pericles and Long Day’s Journey Into Night in the Thomas Theatre. For tickets, call the OSF box office at 800-219-8161 or order online at . All photos by OSF photographer Jenny Graham. LAOS | Our Shows | Guys and Dolls Reviews Guys and Dolls reviews Reviews Leeds List Review - John Burland Whilst there may be the word “Amateur” in their title, LAOS (Leeds Amateur Operatic Society) is highly professional in all aspects of their productions and their current show, Guys and Dolls, would easily grace any West End Stage, such is the quality of the acting, singing and choreography. This show has always been a popular one and was made into a film in the 1960’s starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. It is set in New York, around Broadway and its neighbouring precincts, and features four principle characters.

Nathan Detroit is the leader of a gambling school and is busy trying to organise a crap (dice) game. His fiancée is Adelaide, to whom he has been engaged for 14 years, but has still yet to name the day. Into the City has arrived Sky Masterson, a professional gambler. Nathan needs to acquire $1,000 to rent premises to play his crap game and he decides to lay a bet with Sky on something that he feels he is certain to win. In the end, this turns out to be betting Sky that he cannot take “Sister Sarah”, the local Salvation Army Officer to dinner in Havana, Cuba. The local mission Sarah runs is in trouble due to lack of numbers, and Sky, having learned this, promises to provide “12 genuine sinners” for her prayer meeting if she will have dinner with him. She agrees but initially doesn’t realise where the venue is. Sky has won the bet with Nathan, leaving Nathan unable to use his original gambling venue. However, with Sarah away, he uses the Mission Hall instead. Sky and Sarah have a wonderful time in Havana and under the influence of the drinks she has had, she falls in love with Sky.

They return to New York, Sky fulfils his part of the bargain by filling the Mission Hall with people for the meeting when the local Captain is visiting and all ends happily with Nathan eventually marrying Adelaide and Sky marrying Sarah. In this show there are four spectacular principals, extremely well backed up by a highly talented and enthusiastic chorus. Outstanding in the role of Miss Adeline is Gemma Durkin, a superb performer, both for her acting and singing. I thought her renditions of "Bushel and a peck", "Take back your mink" and in particular the "Lament" were excellent and her New York accent was terrific. Nathan Detroit, the New York Gambler, is brilliantly played by Richard Billings and he and Gemma played off each other superbly. The role of Sky Masterson, a visiting gambler, is played by Joe Mellor. I thought his singing voice was superb, particularly in his performance of “Luck be a lady tonight” which was outstanding. Also nobody can wear a trilby with the insouciance of the way he does. Nicky Burrows is also another superb find, in this her first role with the Society, as Sister Sarah Brown who runs the local Salvation Army mission.

She has an excellent theatrical background and won the Henry Gill Memorial Trophy for the most promising singer under 25 years at the Wharfedale Festival recently. I thought her singing in “I’ve never been in love before” & “If I were a bell” was brilliant. I particularly enjoyed the latter, which was performed as if she were slightly drunk, having consumed large quantities of milk heavily laced with Bacardi “as a preservative” at the bar in Havana, Other supporting roles were Nathan Winn as Nicely Nicely Johnson, Paul Bamber as Benny Southstreet and Fraser Wilkinson as Rusty Charlie. These three combined well in the song “Fugue for tinhorns” where their harmonies were excellent. Nathan also led the number “Sit down you’re rocking the boat” in the second half, which was probably the highlight of the show and certainly received the longest and loudest applause from the audience. The principals were all well supported by the excellent mixed chorus, which was strong both vocally and in its choreography. And it was the choreography, particularly from the males in the chorus playing the roles of the gamblers that was for me the highlight of the show. They were superb!

Also worthy of mention were the brilliant sets, from the New York Skyline to the underground sewers, these looked really great and deserve a special mention in this respect. Also requiring a plaudit is Jim Lunt the musical director. Jim does an excellent job in ensuring that the orchestra supplements the performers and never drowns them. Finally, congratulations to Louise Dennison the director for producing and choreographing such a wonderful and highly polished show. This was an excellent production; and of a very high quality and standard. Musical theatre is certainly alive and well judging by this performance, and this is one show certainly not to be missed during its current run in Leeds. John Burland Love Leeds Radio Review - Sarah Sturdy Guys and Dolls has delighted and entertained people for over fifty years. It is a classic musical with a wonderful story and a fabulous score by Frank Loesser. Songs from the show such as Luck be a Lady and Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat have become well known in their own right, perhaps made even more so by the 1955 film starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine.

The story centres around an illegal crap game run by Nathan Detroit; a crap game that floats from location to location in a bid to evade the law. Nathan struggles to find a suitable place to hold the latest night for his gambling friends and decides that making a wager with Sky Masterson will solve his problems. No musical would be complete without a love story and this bet soon turns into one, with Sky falling for missionary Sarah Brown and Nathan finally wedding his fiancé of fourteen years. It has all the components for a wonderful night out, and LAOS most certainly did it absolute justice. Their six-piece jazz orchestra situated at the back of the stage behind a screen worked remarkably well, injecting vigour and energy into such a deserving score. The set too was impressive and the opening number was full of the anticipated excitement you want to feel when watching a musical. Everyone in the cast from chorus to leads committed fully to the production, and most important of all they clearly had great fun. They successfully created a space and a time that as an audience member you felt a part of, and there were some very good performances. In particular Richard Billings as Nathan and Gemma Durkin as Miss Adelaide gave confident and assured performances with strong vocals.

It is well directed, well choreographed, well staged and makes for a fantastic show, which will leave you skipping out the theatre and singing to yourself. It is hugely enjoyable, and it radiates such warmth and fondness for every character and all involved that it would be difficult not to feel charmed by it. It if were a bell, it would most definitely be ringing, singing and dinging. Sarah Sturdy Love Leeds Radio Wharfedale Review - Val Pennett Although Guys and Dolls was first produced in 1950 in New York, it has never been given by the Leeds Society before. Based on short stories by Damon Runyon set in the heart of New York, characters come alive, combined with Frank Loesser’s brilliant score that gives Guys & Dolls classic originality. Production is stylish and totally in keeping with the era with dancing and movement from principals and chorus a treat. Louise Denison, Director and Choreographer, again does a splendid job for the Society. The orchestra under the direction of Jim Lunt and set at the back of the stage, gave a wonderful jazzy interpretation of this lively score. Staging looked colourful, helped by excellent lighting. Scene changes were slick and unobtrusive.

The ‘Guys’ dominate this show. Collectively and individually they are brilliant with songs like ‘Oldest Established’ and ‘Luck be a Lady’ which were boisterous and entertaining The story line is clever and involves crap games and gambling, Sky Masterson winning a bet that he couldn’t take a Mission girl to dinner in Havana. The rousing title song was outstanding, as well as the Havana scene plus ‘Bushell and a Peck’ and ‘Take back your Mink’ with Adelaide and the girls. The cast excel, Joe Mellor as Sky has stage presence and a fabulous singing voice. Richard Billings is ideal as Nathan Detroit with a fine voice and comedy timing. As Nathan’s frustrated ‘Doll’ Adelaide, Gemma Durkin shines. It’s a gem of a part with comedy lines to die for. All her musical numbers were sung with command and vivacity. I just wished for less haste at times in her comedy timing. Mission girl Sarah Brown is not an easy role to define, but after a shaky start with the song ‘I’ll Know’, Nicky Burrows took control and played her part with ease. The duet ‘I’ve never been in love before’ with Sky was delightful.

Special mention to Guys, Paul Bamber as Benny, Nathan Winn as Nicely singing a superb ‘Rockin the Boat’ and Fraser Wilkinson as Rusty. Mike Porter as Big Jule, Terry Ford from Otley as Lt. Brannigan and Richard Pascoe as Arvide were impressive. Completing the principals cast were Dave Bigland, Winstan Robinson, Chris Speight and Christine Castle. This production was a wonderful, lively, brilliantly paced show. In 2015 LAOS will celebrate 125 years, a great achievement. The Society are to present ‘Sound of Music’ at the Leeds Grand Theatre in March 2013. Val Pennett WYTN Review - Neil Knipe For various reasons, Guys and Dolls is a show quite close to my heart, so watching LAOS fast paced production was a pleasant trip down memory lane. Admittedly, on revisiting, it’s clear that Guys and Dolls doesn’t always hold up. The first act is a little over long, there’s a deck full of period specific jargon to riffle through and a few songs or moments feel like filler, having no narrative or character developing necessity.

What Guys and Dolls is though, is a perfect pristine example of a classic 1950’s musical. The kind of rose tinted look back evident in a lot of post war theatre. Here the “Guys” are harmless, colourful chancers in search of fun instead of the crooked, alcoholic gambling addicts they would have been – sad dregs who would have been avoided at all costs. No new life was particularly dealt into LAOS’s production but its approach felt traditional and honest and perfectly fitting for the source material. Right from the opening, director (and choreographer) Louise Denison gave us a busy city street full of cops, show girls and boxers in training. This busyness continued well into the first act and added a New York bustle to the environment. Lovely brief unison moments of theatrical conventions impressed at the start but sadly became rarer throughout the night. Denison obviously came out with her directorial guns blazing but it really would have been fantastic to see these great touches sustained throughout. As the show continued it became evident that the majority of the supporting cast were outshining the majority of the main cast.

Nathan Winn as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Paul Bamber as Benny Southstreet made a divine double act. My eyes were often drawn to Bamber on stage as he consistently seemed to be giving just that extra bit more than everyone else and Winn gave a very authentic version of Nicely-Nicely. His performance felt truly 1930’s, seemly channelling everyone from Lou Costello to Curly Howard with a hint of Oliver Hardy for good measure and thankfully, his rendition of “Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat” was the show stopper it’s supposed to be. Then, tenacious and well considered roles came from characters you wouldn’t have expected. Terry Ford (Lt Brannigan – and a dead ringer for Orson Welles), Christine Castle (General Cartwright) and Richard Pascoe (Arvide Abernaty) all perfectly performed their small roles. Often in amateur theatre, it’s these roles where the barrel starts to get scraped - not so with LAOS. With Dave Bigland as Harry the Horse and Mike Porter as Big Jule also contributing to the strong support, this production had great talent in its exhaustive cast list.

It’s not that the main cast of two couples weren’t very good, they were, it’s just with such a firm cast behind them performances didn’t always hit the mark as hard as one hoped for. Both Joe Mellor and Richard Billings, as Sky Masterson and Nathan Detriot, conquered the musical numbers with ease and skill and both were more than competent in their roles. It’s not that either stuck out negatively, there just seemed to be something small missing from both interpretations of the part. Masterson didn’t seem masterful enough and Detriot was a little too desperate and weak, lacking the quick witted fire in his belly that kept him bouncing back and spinning several plates at once. There was one exception though – Gemma Durkin as Miss Adelaide. Durkin struggled slightly in LAOS’s previous production, Chess, her voice at times breaking and wavering, despite being utterly beautiful in the numbers that didn’t require forcing the rock notes. My heart sank when I saw she was playing Adelaide, I really wanted to hear those lovely tones float through the part of Sarah Brown. However, from her first step onto the Playhouse stage to her last off it, Durkin stole the show with a performance that could only be described as pitch perfect.

The musical numbers had wonderful light and shade, alternating between delicately cute squeaking to big voice belting, and her clever characterisation had the perfect mix of dumb loveable doll to cunning ferocious female. Like Winn’s Nicely-Nicely, Durkin channelled the best of black and white vintage comedy, showing an incredible ability to comedically contort her face, each facet seemly moving individually from the other. Her performance greatly added to the overall high quality of the show. Several comedic moments needed slight stronger direction, a slight change of inflection/intonation/pacing here and there would have worked wonders but every musical number was strong and satisfying. So, yet another performance from LAOS to make Leeds theatre proud and retain their title as the best amateurs in town ... This is where I should probably say something about gambling your money on a ticket or betting on a great night out. The odds are favourable. Neil Knipe Sue Garbutt - Website Feedback Myself and my mum visited West Yorkshire Playhouse on Saturday 22nd to watch your matinee show of Guys n Dolls. Oh! how we enjoyed it and just wanted to pass our thanks and congrats onto the cast and everyone involved.

The singing, dancing and acting was outstanding and was just like a professional performance. After the show we managed to talk to 'Sky Masterson' and Nicely Nicely' to tell them how well they had done and it was lovely talking to them!! The parts could have been made for them they played them so well. Plus Joe is gorgeous!!!! Thank you so much for providing us with a fantastic show that we will remember for a long time!

Question: Who actress played Sister Sarah Brown in the1955 musical film Guys and Dolls?
Answer: Jean Simmons.