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Regarded by many as the great American musical, Frank Loesser’s unimpeachably delightful 1950 opus ‘Guys & Dolls’ follows the convoluted romantic lives and absurdist adventures of an array of wiseguys (and wisedolls) in gangster-era New York.
It gets revived relatively often, with notable UK productions including the National Theatre’s blockbuster 1982 version – which by all accounts saved our flagship theatre’s financial bacon during a rough patch – and Michael Grandage’s 2005 take, notable for starring a peak-of-his-fame Ewan McGregor as feckless gambler Sky Masterton. It’s not been seen in London since 2016, though, so the time is ripe for a new revival, and it looks like the Bridge Theatre is cooking up something spectacular.
It’s been announced that the theatre’s boss Nicholas Hytner will be directing ‘G&D’ in a new immersive production, and while the I-word can sometimes be a voguish epithet meaning very little, Hytner directed two excellent immersive Shakespeare plays earlier in the life of the Bridge – ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ – that suggest he’s going to understand the assignment here.
The musical has a tendency to attract big names – or at least very respected ones but all casting is currently TBC. Whoever ends up starring in it, it’s an unusually large-scale venture from the Bridge: both its first musical, and already scheduled to be its longest-running show ever, with dates scheduled from February to September next year, with the clear possibility of an extension. Turning the Bridge over to just one show is possibly an indication that Hytner’s long-trailed new King’s Cross venue may finally be opening next year, though that’s very much TBA.
‘Guys & Dolls’ is booking at the Bridge Theatre Feb 27-Sep 2 2023. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Wed Jun 22 here.