Guys and Dolls
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ The Opera House Co. presents the time-honored musical comedy "Guys and Dolls" in a four- performance run Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.
Performances are at the Historic Opera House Theatre, located at 106 West Franklin Avenue, in Sesser. Ticket prices are $10 (General), $8 (Senior), $7 (Students), and $6 (Children) general seating. Tickets are available locally at the Print Shop, located in Sesser by calling (618) 625-5322 or on the web at http://www.brownpapertickets.com (search "Sesser"). Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before the show.
Written by composer/lyricist Frank Loesser, with a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, "Guys and Dolls" won a Best Musical Tony for the original 1951 production and a second Tony for Best Revival for the 1992 production starring Faith Prince and Nathan Lane. The musical also received international attention thanks to the 1955 MGM motion picture adaptation featuring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.
Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy - considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy - soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters who have become legends in the canon: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight "mission doll," out to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.
Everything works out in the end, thanks to the machinations of Burrows and Swerling's hilarious, fast-paced book and Loesser's bright, brassy, immortal score, which takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City. Funny and romantic, Guys and Dolls is a cornerstone of the musical comedy stage that continues to delight audiences for over 50 years. Featuring the songs "Luck Be a Lady" and "Bushel and a Peck," this musical is the perfect balance of story, dance, music, and romance. The cast includes actors and actresses from all four corners of Southern Illinois actors and actresses including Emily Dixon of Pinckneyville.