The Production Company's GUYS AND DOLLS Comes to Arts Centre Melbourne, Now thru July 27

One of Broadway's best musicals, the award winning Guys and Dolls opens tonight, July 19 at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne for 10 shows only. Starring in this new production are Verity Hunt-Ballard, Martin Crewes, Chelsea Plumley, Adam Murphy, Bobby Fox and Christopher Horsey.

Since its very first Broadway season in 1950, Guys and Dolls has been showered with Tony, Drama Desk, Olivier and Helpmann Awards. The Production Company's new staging will be directed by the award winning Gale Edwards, Musical Director is Guy Simpson and the Choreographer is Nathan M Wright.

Based on Damon Runyon's Broadway fables, Guys and Dolls is the story of Nathan Detroit, the organiser of the oldest permanent floating crap game in New York and the bet he makes with the suave and handsome gambler, Sky Masterson. Nathan bets Sky that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Sky meets the challenge when the next girl happens to be Miss Sarah Brown of the Save-a-Soul Mission. Meanwhile, Miss Adelaide, who is both Nathan's fiance?e of fourteen years and the main attraction at the Hot Box nightclub, desperately waits for Nathan to marry her. The plot comes to a climax when Angie the Ox, Rusty Charlie, Harry the Horse, Liver Lips Louie, Big Jule and Society Max join General Matilda Cartwright at the Save-a-Soul Mission for one night only.

Guys and Dolls has been described as "a triumph and a delight", "a work of art" and the "perfect musical comedy". Frank Loesser's score features the hit songs Luck Be A Lady, Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat, I've Never Been in Love Before and Adelaide's Lament.

The Production Company's season runs from today, July 19 to 27 for ten performances in the State Theatre at Arts Centre Melbourne.

The full company starts rehearsals on Monday June 30. Orchestra Victoria plays for all performances. Bookings can be made at artscentremelbourne.com.au or ticketmaster.com.au and they are priced from $24 to $119.

THE CAST:

VERITY HUNT-BALLARD is Sarah Brown
Verity Hunt-Ballard graduated from WAAPA in 2003. Verity is best known for her award winning performance as Mary Poppins, for which she received a Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical, a Green Room Award for Best Female Artist in a Leading Role in Music Theatre, and nominations for the Sydney Theatre Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical and a Glug Award nomination, Best Female Actor in Music Theatre - Mary Poppins.

Most recently Verity played Charity Hope Valentine in Luckiest Productions sell-out season of Sweet Charity. Her other stage credits include: Shane Warne The Musical Concert, Jersey Boys (New Theatricals), The Rocky Horror Show (New Theatricals), Eureka, Virgins with the Malthouse Theatre and the New York Musical Theatre Festival, After the Beep for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Metro Street at the State Theatre Company of SA, for which she won a Theatre Critics Award for Best Female Performance.

Verity is featured on the Shane Warne the Musical Concert cast recording, Eddie Perfect's recording- Drink Pepsi Bitch, Dean Bryant and Matthew Frank's- Virgins cast recording and the Mary Poppins Australian cast recording which is sold worldwide.

Verity has appeared in ABC's The Doctor Blake Mysteries, on Vision Australia's Carols By Candlelight, Good Morning Australia, The Today Show, Sunrise, The Circle, The Kerrie- Anne Show, Saturday Disney, The Footy Show, The AFL Grand Final, The Australian Open Grand Final and Mornings on Channel 9.

Verity is an ambassador for Creativity Australia's Sing for Spring, was included in the inaugural edition of the Who's Who of Australian Women 2011 and is co-director of corporate entertainment sensation, 'Ovation'.

MARTIN CREWES is Sky Masterson
Since graduating from WAAPA Martin Crewes has performed leading roles in Australia, the UK and Asia, enjoying a successful career in film, theatre and television.

Martin's roles in musical theatre include The Production Company's Chess and Hair, GFO's Doctor Zhivago and South Pacific, the Really Useful Company's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Aspects of Love, Majestic Theatre Company's Oh! What a Night, Momo Films "8" The Play, Kevin Jacobsen's/David Atkins The Man From Snowy River Arena Spectacular and Victoria State Opera's West Side Story. Martin played the role of Marius in Cameron Mackintosh's Les Miserables, Asia, South Africa and London's West End. His other work in the UK includes The Woman in White directed by Trevor Nunn, Pal Joey for Chichester Festival Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Merry Wives The Musical. Martin sang the role of Marius in the Scandinavian

Most recently Martin was cast as Charlie, Oscar and Vittorio in Luckiest Productions sell out season of Sweet Charity at The Hayes Theatre.

Martin has received critical acclaim with numerous award nominations and wins. For Doctor Zhivago he won a Sydney Theatre Award, A Glug Award and a nomination for a Helpmann Award. He won a Green Room Award for Hair and a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Chess. Martin received a Helpmann Award nomination for Oh! What a Night and a What's Onstage nomination for The Woman in White.

Martin's feature film credits include Patrick, Resident Evil and DOA: Dead or Alive. His most recent television appearance was in ABC TV's legal drama Crownies.

CHELSEA PLUMLEY is Miss Adelaide
Over the course of a career that has spanned two decades, Chelsea Plumley has starred in musical theatre and solo concerts that have garnered a notable reputation for both comedic and dramatic depth. Chelsea has also appeared in films, television series and musical recordings.

Her stage credits include: Promises, Promises, Kismet, Sunset Boulevard, Life's A Circus, (each receiving Green Room Award Nominations), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Breast Wishes, Company, Grease, A New Brain, Tim Rice's Concert Spectacular and Masterclass.

Chelsea has toured her self-penned one-woman shows internationally, entertained celebrities and political luminaries for four years in London's top hotels as piano bar pianist and singer, and hosted the worldwide phenomenon Sing-A-Long-A-Sound-Of- Music for twelve years.

On television, Chelsea appeared as guest coach and accompanist on Channel Ten's I Will Survive, as Rachel' in Offspring and as the Queen of the Fairies for five seasons on the Channel Nine/GO children's television program, William and Sparkles' Magical Tales.

Chelsea most recently starred in the role of Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers.

ADAM MURPHY is Nathan Detroit
Stage credits include The Graduate (Key & Mclean), True Minds (MTC), A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum (GFO), Mary Poppins (Disney), Angelique (Victorian Opera), The Drowsy Chaperone for which he received Helpmann and Green Room Award nominations (MTC), Guys and Dolls (Donmar), Urinetown (MTC), Mamma Mia (Dainty), Les Miserables (Cameron Mackintosh) and the multi award winning cabaret The Beautiful Losers.

For The Production Company, Adam recently appeared as The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. His roles for The Production Company also include Crazy For You, Mame, 42nd St, Little Me, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Pajama Game, Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun, Carousel, They're Playing Our Song, The Gilbert and Sullivan Show and Call Me Madam.

His many productions in New Zealand include Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me, Kate, Blue Sky Boys, Desire Under the Elms, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Caesar and Cleopatra, Travels With My Aunt, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Queen and I, This Other Eden, The Wind in the Willows, She Loves Me, The Revenger's Tragedy and The Official Tribute to the Blues Brothers

Screen credits include The Trivia Company (NZ), Shortland Street (NZ), Eugenie Sandler, Halifaxf.p., Neighbours, Blue Heelers, City Homicide, The Weatherman, House Husbands and The Forest (a short feature film).

BOBBY FOX is Nicely-Nicely Johnson
Hailing from Longford Ireland, Bobby's career highlights include; four times World Irish Dance Champion and touring with Irish productions such as Riverdance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground (principal understudy) and To Dance on the Moon (principal dancer).

Upon moving to Australia in 2002, Bobby began his professional musical theatre career and hasn't looked back with feature roles in Mamma Mia, Leader of the Pack, Dusty - The Original Pop Diva, We Will Rock You, Spamalot and The Production Company's Sweet Charity and Damn Yankies.

Bobby was then hand picked by the man himself to play the role of Frankie Valli in the smash hit musical The Jersey Boys, playing to critical acclaim and sold out seasons in Melbourne and Sydney.

Bobby also enjoys an acting career with his credits including guest roles in the Nine Network's new hit House Husbands, Seven's Tricky Business, Ten's Mr & Mrs Murder, and the Feature Film The Cup.

Bobby recently played the lead Tap Brother, Spring, in the 21st anniversary season of Hot Shoe Shuffle. He has just released his album The Fantastic Mr Fox with Warner Music, available now in music stores and on iTunes. The album features a duet with Miranda Kerr.

CHRISTOPHER HORSEY is Benny Southstreet
Christopher's appearances with The Production Company include Andy Lee in 42nd Street, Lank Hawkins in Crazy For You as well as choreographing High Society and Sugar.

Most recently Christopher has choreographed the musical Ruthless for The Theatre Division, played the role of Rooster in Annie for Packemin Productions, choreographed and appeared in Lifeforce a brand new Australian musical, written by Joanna Weinberg (Goddess) and he headlined the Australian International Tap Dance Festival in Melbourne.

In 2012 he created the opening sequence of the Helpmann Awards at the Sydney Opera House and starred in the new Australian musical, Joanna Weinberg's Every Single Saturday at Glen St Theatre. In 2011 he created and choreographed a brand new tap performance, Soundz Extraordinary commissioned by Northern Tap Company, Yorkshire UK.

Chris originated the role of Tip in the original 1993 production and consequent world tour of Hot Shoe Shuffle, he was also a founding member of Tap Dogs and toured North America to 16 cities including a 6 month residence at Union Square Theatre, New York City.

He was in the original Australian cast of 42nd St, Singin' In The Rain, Chicago and played Big Deal in West Side Story. He has performed alongside Stevie Wonder in Quincy Jones - The First Fifty Years in Los Angeles, made multiple appearances on the Jay Leno Show and choreographed for and performed with Adam Garcia during his tenure as judge on Sky1/UK's high rating Got To Dance (his 2011 performance has had over 171,000 hits on YouTube). Chris starred as Angus in the Fox Searchlight feature film Bootmen and presents his own radio show Arts Friday on Eastside Radio 89.7FM. Since winning the Fred Astaire International Tap & Jazz Championship, Waldorf Astoria, New York in 1984 he has never looked back.

GALE EDWARDS -DIRECTOR
In 2014 Gale has been endowed with the lifetime position of Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at Flinders University.

She has been directing all genres of theatre and opera nationally and internationally for over 30 years, her great love being the Classics and Musical Theatre. She has directed for all Australia's State Theatre Companies, Opera Australia, Victoria State Opera, South Australian Opera Company, New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, English National Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company and Chichester Festival.

Gale has won multiple awards for her directing including Sydney Theatre Award for Festen, Helpmann Awards for The Boy From Oz and Sweeney Todd, Green Room Awards for The Boy From Oz and Manon Lescaut, Salome and Sydney Theatre Critics Awards for Coriolanus, The Rover, The Glass Menagerie and Les Miserables.

Gale directed a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar which had seasons on the West End and on Broadway, receiving a Tony Award nomination and an International Emmy Award for Best Filmed Video Production.

Other international work includes Romeo and Juliet for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Macbeth for Oregon Shakespeare Company, Hamlet, Edward ll, Titus Andronicus and Richard III for Washington Shakespeare Company, Far Pavillions Shaftsbury Theatre London, Don Carlos for Royal Shakespeare Company London transferring to BAM in New York, The Taming of The Shrew and The White Devil Royal Shakespeare Company, both transferring to the Barbican Theatre in London, St Joan for The Strand Theatre London and Aspects of Love for the Really Useful Company London.

Gale has directed many theatre productions in Australia, some highlights are: For the Sydney Theatre Company Coriolanus, The White Devil, The God of Carnage, Woman in Mind, Festen and The Way of the World, for the Melbourne Theatre Company Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hitchcock Blonde, M Butterfly, Ghosts and Uncle Vanya. Gale directed the original production of The Boy From Oz, Jerry Springer the Opera for the Sydney Opera House and a new production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Her operas include La Boheme, Der Rosenkavalier, Manon Lescaut, The Magic Flute, Maria Stuarda, Salome and Katya Kabanova.

GUY SIMPSON - MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Guy Simpson has been working as a Conductor, Musical Director and Musical Supervisor for over 30 years.

For The Production Company he has conducted Funny Girl, Call me Madam, Mack and Mabel, The Music Man, They're Playing our Song, Carousel, Oklahoma!, Camelot, Little Me, Follies, Promises Promises, Gypsy and Guys and Dolls.

Guy was Musical Supervisor and Orchestrator of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Geoffrey Rush. He was Musical Supervisor and Musical Director of the Australian production of Love Never Dies which released on DVD by Universal Pictures.

Guy's work on The Phantom of the Opera began in Australia in 1990 and has continued for over 20 years with productions in Auckland, Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Brazil (in Portuguese), Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul where he produced two cast recordings in Korean.

He has had a similarly long association with Miss Saigon. Since the original production, Guy has conducted and supervised productions in Australia, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, Seoul, The Netherlands and Japan.

Other international productions include Cats (Australia, New Zealand), Chicago (Australia, Hong Kong) and We Will Rock You - the QUEEN musical (Australia, Japan)

Other productions in Australia include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Les Miserables, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, Company, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, West Side Story, The Pirates of Penzance, Snoopy, Seesaw and Zorba.

Other Musical Direction work has included the UK Pop / Opera group Amici Forever, The Helpmann Awards, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Campbell - The Broadway Show.

His next project is Passion later this year in Melbourne followed by productions of Phantom of the Opera in Taipei, Hong Kong, Istanbul and Beijing.

NATHAN M WRIGHT - CHOREOGRAPHER
After a successful career as a performer, Nathan is now an international choreographer in Musical Theatre, film, television and large-scale Events.

His London theatre credits include Fing's Ain't Wot They Used T'Be, The Rocky Horror Show - Best Choreography Nomination (Broadway World), Sweet Smell of Success - Best Choreography Nomination (What'sOnstage), The Tailor Made Man - Best Choreography Nomination (Broadway World) and Avenue Q (Korea).

Highlights in Australia include The Rocky Horror Show 40th Anniversary, Avenue Q - Best Choreography Nomination (Helpmann and Green Room), David Campbell On Broadway Tour, Gutenberg - Best Choreography Nomination (Helpmann Award), Not Quite Out Of The Woods and Pennies' from Kevin for the STC, Associate Choreographer King Kong (Workshop), Breast Wishes, Boeing-Boeing and Lovebites.

His film credits include Associate Choreographer on The Great Gatsby, The Wicked Faced Boy in Moulin Rouge and A Motion Capture Artist in Happy Feet.

Nathan was The Director of Mass Choreography for The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Sochi 2014, Olympic & Paralympic Games Ceremonies London 2012 - Mass Movement Choreographer, The Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 - Flag Handover Ceremony and The Winter Olympics Vancouver 2010 - Segment Director Closing Ceremony Finale featuring Michael Buble.

UK television credits include Strictly Come Dancing (BBC) and Breathless (ITV) and in Australia So You Think You Can Dance Australia, and The 2010 Helpmann Awards.