Oliver Platt to headline new production of Guys and Dolls on Broadway

The Ambassador Theatre Group announced today a new production of Guys and Dolls to be directed by Des McAnuff, the Tony Award-Winning director of Jersey Boys. Previews will begin on February 3, 2009 at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street) and the show will open on March 1.

The show will star Tony Award nominee Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit, with additional casting to be announced shortly. McAnuff's choreographer on Jersey Boys, Sergio Trujillo, is also on board.

Guys and Dolls features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows and is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure," two short stories by Damon Runyon. It also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick the Winner".

The musical comedy was first produced on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre in 1950. The original production was directed by George S. Kaufman and starred Robert Alda, Sam Levene, Isabel Bigley and Vivian Blaine. The musical ran for 1,201 performances, and won five Tony Awards in 1951, including Best Musical.

(Corey Scholibo, The Advocate)