Guys and Dolls Revival, Directed by McAnuff, to Open on Broadway in 2009
By Andrew Gans
29 Jul 2008
 |
 |
Des McAnuff
|
A new production of the classic Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls is scheduled to open on Broadway in spring 2009 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced.
Two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff will direct the production with choreography by Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominee Sergio Trujillo.
Casting and a design team will be announced at a later date.
Guys and Dolls will be produced by Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and co-produced by Tulchin/Bartner and Darren Bagert.
In a 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.
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.
*
At one point it looked likely that the Olivier-winning, Michael Grandage-directed London production of Guys and Dolls, which was presented by the Donmar Warehouse at London's Piccadilly Theatre, would arrive on Broadway. However, in September 2007 director Grandage told Daily Variety that because of the then-possible writers' strike in Hollywood, the four stage and screen actors he had hoped to sign for the lead roles were unable to commit to the project. The industry paper said the actors needed to be available for film work prior to the beginning of the strike.
Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2008 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|