Guys and Dolls to open on Broadway in Mar 2008.

The Olivier Award winning production of Guys and Dolls, directed by Michael Grandage and choreographed by Rob Ashford, is to open on Broadway in Mar 2008, according to a casting call posted on 6 Jun 2007.

Michael Grandage has recently been nominated for a Tony Award for his direction of Frost/Nixon, by Peter Morgan, and starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre until 10 Aug 2007.

Guys and Dolls - music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, with book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows - brings to life the Broadway of the 1940's, inhabited by gamblers, nightclub performers and members of the Salvation Army, in search of sinners to cure. The score includes:'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat'; 'Luck Be A Lady Tonight' and 'Take Back Your Mink'.

The London production of Guys and Dolls, produced by the Donmar Warehouse where Michael Grandage is artistic director, opened at London' Piccadilly Theatre on 1 Jun 2005, following previews from 19 May and ran through to 14 Apr 2007.

The show starred Ewan McGregor as Sky Masterson and Jane Krakowski as Miss Adelaide. Krakowski won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance, and the show won the 2006 Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production.

The Broadway production will be produced by The Ambassador Theatre Group.

The casting call is for the following principle roles:

• Adelaide: 30s. Big belt, great dancer. Happy to use her sexuality during her numbers at the Hot Box Club, but offstage she's devoted to the one man in her life, Nathan Detroit. Brilliant actress required to take on this great leading role.
• Elizabeth: 30s. Requires great leading actor with high baritone voice. This debonair gambler believes he knows everything there is to know about women, but finds, to his surprise, he falls in love for the first time. Requires delicate comic skills and an ability with text that is able to sustain long book scenes in a highly charismatic way.
• Nathan Detroit: 30 - 40s. Leading role. He motors the narrative with great comic skill - he is also an addictive gambler with real edge. Needs to be able to sing but above all needs to be able to take on important narrative and lead from the front.
• Nicely Nicely Johnson: Male, 40s. �Business� partner to Nathan Detroit. Nicely and his side kick Benny provide much of the lighter elements of the production. In this production, the stereotypical larger male is not altogether necessary, although there should be an infectious, mildly zany energy to the character. Role requires good instinctive comedy skills and excellent tenor voice to A.
• Benny Southstreet: Male, 40. With weasel-like nature, Benny is little smarter than Nicely, but not too much. Rather more in tune to manic role he plays within Nathan�s �organization�, but like Nicely has underplayed but zany humorous quality. Requires excellent tenor voice & comedy skills & 1st-class dancer to lead Crapshooter�s Ballet.
• Arvide Abernathy: Male, 50s. Sarah Brown�s guardian & confidant; kindly father figure, but not pathetic. Sure of his service to God�s work, but also practical. Should not be overtly sympathetic or sentimental � has heart, but also recognizes realism of the world they live in. Good tenor voice.
• Lt. Brannigan: Male, mid 40s-50s. Feels himself to be big-shot detective, but sadly never quite gets the criminal. There is a feeling of him being �past it�, but his energy does also suggest he�s prepared to give it one last shot. Often the butt of many of the gangsters� jokes, and although respectful and nervous of his position in society, is easily fooled by them, thus preventing him from making an arrest.
• General Cartwright: Female, early 50s � ideally a large lady with imposing physical quality. Head of the Save-A-Soul Mission Organization. Tough, no-nonsense and imposing in both stature and nature. Has a heart, though, and is eventually supportive of the work the Broadway Save-A-Soul Mission is trying to achieve.
• Harry The Horse: Male, mid 30s, tall and imposing. Of the gangsters, Harry is probably one of the more business- minded players with an eye for improving his position in the pecking order. Well-known to the big players and, in the time frame of this production, has brought in heavyweight Big Jule from Illinois. Tough and respected. Good baritone voice and good dance skills.
• Big Jule: Male 40s/early 50s with an Italian flavor. Height under 5� 2�. Build could be stocky, but not essential. As Harry The Horse�s guest, Big Jule commands respect from the other players. He is revered, and one knows that to disrespect him would be a fatal mistake. Pure menace. However, once he has been embarrassed by Sky Masterson in the sewers, the fa�ade is lowered and we see a much more cowering Big Jule come to the fore. Good singing and dancing skills.