Guys Finish Piccadilly Run Ahead of Grease, 14 AprDate: 16 March 2007
Guys and Dolls will finish its run at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre next month, making way for the reality TV-cast revival of Grease this summer (See Today's Other News). Cast of Michael Grandage’s multi award-winning production of the Frank Loesser musical – currently led by Miami Vice star Don Johnson (pictured) as Nathan Detroit – were given notice last night that their final performance will be on 14 April 2007, after a run of just under two years.
Based on Damon Runyon’s short stories about New York gamblers and their girls in the 1940s, Frank Loesser’s 1950 Broadway musical was made into a 1953 Hollywood film starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra. Grandage’s revival, the first new production of Guys and Dolls in London for 23 years, opened on 1 June 2005 (previews from 19 May).
The show won four of last year’s Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards: Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical - for original cast members Ewan McGregor, making his stage musical debut, Jane Krakowski and Martyn Ellis (who played Miss Adelaide, Sky Masterson and Nicely Nicely Johnson respectively) – and Best Musical Revival (See News, 31 Jan 2006).
Subsequent high-profile casts have featured: Patrick Swayze, Nigel Harman, Neil Morrissey, Sarah Lancashire, Adam Cooper and Amy Nuttall. Currently, Don Johnson, who is due to finish his contract on 31 March 2007, is joined by Samantha Janus (as Miss Adelaide), Norman Bowman (Sky) and Lisa Stokke (Sarah Brown). A separate touring production continues its UK-wide dates, with a rotating cast of stars (See News, 15 Mar 2007).
Guys and Dolls is designed by Christopher Oram, with choreography by Rob Ashford, musical supervision by Jae Alexander, lighting by Howard Harrison and sound by Terry Jardine and Chris Full. It’s presented by the Ambassador Theatre Group and Live Nation in association with the Donmar Warehouse.
- by Terri Paddock
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