The production, directed and designed by artistic director Matt Logan, is the first live theatrical event to hit the Franklin Theatre stage in its 74-year history and will run through Aug. 28.
Jersey Boys alum Jared Bradshaw and John Hickman will lead the Guys and Dolls cast, playing Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson, respectively. Other members of the cast include Carrie Tillis as Sarah Brown, Laura Matula as Miss Adelaide, Patrick Waller as Nicely Nicely Johnson and Matthew Carlton as Arvide Abernathy.
Guys and Dolls is set in Depression-era Times Square. According to press notes, the musical "is about a couple of big city gamblers and the women who love them. It tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club. Nathan runs a famous floating crap game, and an ongoing plot line involves his quest for a safe place for the game as Adelaide continues her quest to convince him to marry her. Meanwhile, Sarah, mistakenly believing that Sky set up an illegal game at the mission, tries to fight her affection for the charismatic crapshooter."
Other members of the creative team include musical director Stephen Kummer, who will also provide new orchestrations; choreographer Micah Shepard; and executive producer Jake Speck, who also serves as the company's managing director.
Following Guys and Dolls, Studio Tenn will bring back A Christmas Carol Dec. 8-18, which will be held during Franklin's Main Street "Dickens of a Christmas Festival." The Miracle Worker will conclude the season and run Feb. 23-March 4, 2012. Studio Tenn Theatre Company, led by Logan and Speck, was founded in fall 2009. The company utilizes "a rich combination of talent from Nashville and Broadway to bring classic works of drama and musical theatre to life in Middle Tennessee; and provide innovative educational programs designed to entertain, educate and inspire the rising artists of our unique community."
The Franklin Theatre is located at 419 Main Street, Franklin, TN. For more information, visit www.StudioTenn.com. For tickets, visit www.FranklinTheatre.com.
