Harman & Lancashire Replace McGregor & Krakowski in Guys and Dolls, Dec. 5

By: Sep. 19, 2005
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British TV star Nigel Harman will succeed Ewan McGregor as Sky Masterson in the acclaimed Donmar Warehouse revival of Guys and Dolls on December 5th, while Sarah Lancashire will take over as Miss Adelaide the same day.

Due partially to the luster of the cast and creative team, Guys and Dolls has been a smash at London's Piccadilly Theatre; it also received a strong critical reception. Directed by Michael Grandage and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford, the show is a somewhat grittier interpretation of the classic musical, which is set in a New York world of gamblers, gangsters, chorus girls and a Salvation Army girl who wants to reform all of them. Of course, the latter--Sarah Brown--also falls in love with one of the gamblers--Sky Masterson. McGregor received plaudits for his performance in the role, with Benedict Nightingale of the London Times gushing, "What surprised me was his ability not just to talk his songs, but to sing them, and sing them smoothly and tunefully. What surprised me a lot less was his laid-back urbanity and, when he's shooting craps, his equally effortless sense of command."

Harman, while not a movie star like his predecessor, is a British celebrity in his own right; he's a regular on the popular soap opera "EastEnders." He previously collaborated with Grandage in the Donmar's Privates on Parade, and has also appeared in London in Mamma Mia! and The Who's Tommy.

Lancashire, one of the stars of the popular UK soap "Coronation Street," will succeed Tony Award-winner Jane Krakowski as the unhappily-unmarried Miss Adelaide on December 5th.  Her musical credits include Little Shop of Horrors and Blood Brothers. 

Jenna Russell and Douglas Hodge play Sarah and Nathan Detroit, respectively.
 
Howard Panter, one of the show's producers, was enthusiastic about the casting of Harman and Lancashire: "Ewan is a very difficult actor to replace but Nigel is perfect. He's handsome and he's got the credentials and the ability to star in one of the greatest musicals of all time. I believe he is bowing out of 'EastEnders' in some dramatic way soon. Sarah is one of our leading TV actresses and is wonderful casting." According to Panter, the search for a new Nathan Detroit is underway and he is in talks with "someone very special."

Guys and Dolls opened at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24th, 1950 and won the 1951 Tony Award for Best Musical. Running for 1,200 performances, it featured Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, Isabel Bigley and Sam Levene as its leads. Based on the stories of Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls features a score by Frank Loesser and a book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. There have been 3 revivals--most recently in 1992 with Nathan Lane and Faith Prince--and a 1955 film starred Marlon Brando, Blaine, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons.

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