Diablo Theatre Company Presents GUYS AND DOLLS, Now thru 3/1

One of Broadway's best musicals, Guys and Dolls comes to Walnut Creek for the Arts in Diablo Theatre Company's exuberant production that captures the romance and humor of Damon Runyon's Depression-era urban fables about fancy-talking gamblers and the "dolls" who love them.

The Tony Award-winning show, running today, February 7 through March 1, features a book by Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, who penned such immortal tunes as "Luck Be A Lady," "Adelaide's Lament" and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." Premiering on Broadway in 1950,Guys and Dolls was inspired by Runyon, a sportswriter and newspaperman whose New York-based tall tales are famously filled with colorful tough-guy characters and a poetic and distinctly American slang.

Guys and Dolls centers on the romantic misadventures of four iconic Broadway characters. Prim Salvation Army Sgt. Sarah Brown wants to reform the evildoers around Times Square until she meets her match in slick, high-rolling gambler Sky Masterson. He tries to seduce Sarah on a bet made with Nathan Detroit who is trying to find a spot for his floating crap game while fending off a big-time Chicago mobster and demands for marriage by his Adelaide, his long-suffering showgirl fiancé.

Things get more complicated when Sky and Sarah fall in love and the police try to bust Nathan and his buddies. The fast-paced show, accompanied by Loesser's bright and brassy score, moves from the nightclubs of Times Square to the cafès of Havana and even into the sewers of New York.

Since its original 1200-performance run, Guys and Dolls has gotten three Broadway revivals, two major mountings in London and been adapted into the classic big-budget 1955 film starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine. Another film revival is said to be in the works.

For Diablo Theatre Company's production, Kikau Alvaro returns to direct and choreograph after helming this past fall's popular and critically acclaimed Shrek the Musical. Veteran Bay Area performers starring in the show are Tom Reardon, Gene Bencomo, Kimberly Nearon and Mary Kalita. The music director is Matt Smart, and vocal director is BranDon Adams.

There are 16 performances of Guys and Dolls at the Lesher Center, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. For tickets, call 925-943-SHOW (7469) or visit www.lesherartscenter.org or www.diablotheatre.org.