Preview: Guys and Dolls at Newcastle Theatre Royal

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STAR LINE-UP IS A SURE BET

FOR GUYS AND DOLLS

Guys and Dolls

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Tuesday 22^nd March – Saturday 2^nd April 2016

An extra dose of glitz and glamour has been confirmed for the tour of Guys and Dolls to Newcastle Theatre Royal as it was announced today that the star line-up will include Richard Fleeshman (Coronation Street, Ghost the Musical, Call the Midwife) as Sky Masterson, Maxwell Caulfield (Grease 2, Emmerdale, The Colbys) as Nathan Detroit, Louise Dearman (Wicked, Evita) as Adelaide and Anna O’Byrne (Love Never Dies) as Sarah Brown.

This glittering production of gamblers, gangsters and night-club singers rolls into Newcastle on Tuesday 22^nd March, direct from rave reviews in the West End. The Chichester Festival Theatre revival of Guys and Dolls features dazzling choreography by world-renowned Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta alongside Andrew Wright, whose credits include Chichester Festival Theatre’s Singin’ in the Rain and is directed by New York’s Gordon Greenberg.

Audiences will be transported to the sizzling sidewalks of New York where they’ll meet Nathan Detroit, who is desperate: he needs money for an illegal dice game, and he needs it fast. Not to mention a 14-year engagement with nightclub singer Miss Adelaide, whose patience is finally running out. Enter notorious gambler Sky Masterson, a guy who can never turn down a bet, and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown, a doll with a heart of ice. Nathan’s wager is that Sky has to romance Sarah by taking her to Havana for dinner and in return he’ll provide a dozen ‘sinners’ for Sarah’s mission. Surely this is one bet Nathan absolutely can't lose?

A joyous and vibrant celebration of Prohibition-era New York, Guys and Dolls first premiered on Broadway in 1950 and captured the optimism and energy of post-World War Two America. This hugely popular and multi award-winning musical, based on the colourful stories by American journalist Damon Runyon renowned for his vivid fictional depictions of the gamblers, hustlers and nightclub singers of New York, features some of Broadway’s greatest musical numbers including ‘My Time of Day’, ‘Luck be a Lady’ and the show-stopping ‘Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat’. 

Maxwell Caulfield (Nathan Detroit) theatre credits include the Tony Award winning production of The Elephant Man and the National Theatre’s transfer of An Inspector Calls on Broadway. He has starred in the UK touring productions of Singin' in the Rain, Bedroom Farce and The Rocky Horror Show, as well as starring as Billy Flynn in the West End production of Chicago. In recent years Maxwell has starred several long-running UK television series including Emmerdale and Casualty. Other television credits include the hit US shows Modern Family, NCIS and Castle, as well as The Parade and the global hit series The Colbys. Film credits include the lead opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2, The Boys Next Door, Empire Records and The Real Blonde.

Louise Dearman (Miss Adelaide) played Sarah Brown in the hit Donmar Warehouse production of Guys and Dolls in the West End. Her extensive theatre credits include Kiss Me Kate (Royal Albert Hall), The Water Babies (Leicester Curve), the first actor to play both Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked (Apollo Victoria), Evita (UK Tour), Grease (UK Tour and West End) and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour). As a recording artist Louise has released 3 albums – You and I, Here Comes the Sun and It’s Time.

Richard Fleeshman (Sky Masterson) stage credits include A Damsel in Distress (Chichester Festival Theatre), Urinetown (St. James Theatre), Ghost The Musical (Piccadilly Theatre and on Broadway) and Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre). He is best known on screen as Craig Harris in Coronation Street. Richard's other screen credits include Moving On, Midsomer Murders, All The Small Things, Reading Bedtime Stories, Monday Monday, Blue Murder IV and An Angel For May. Richard also secured a major record deal with Universal Records upon leaving Coronation Street.

Anna O’Byrne (Sarah Brown) theatre credits include Sweeney Todd (ENO), Barnum (Chichester Festival Theatre and UK Tour), Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s). Anna’s film credits include Christine Daae in the acclaimed Australian production of Love Never Dies released internationally in cinemas and on DVD.

Completing the cast are Jack Edwards as Nicely Nicely Johnson, Peter Harding as Arvide Abernathy, Anthony McGill as Lt Brannigan, Mark Sangster as Benny Southstreet, Melanie Marshall as General Cartwright, Craig Pinder as Harry the Horse/Joey Biltmore, Cameron Johnson as Big Julie, Christopher Howell as Rusty Charlie. The ensemble includes Eamonn Cox, Jamal Crawford, Jonny Godbold, Ross Lee Fowkes, Aron Wild, Kiel Payton, Matthew Whennell-Clark, Ruthie Stephens, Bethany Linsdell, Hannah Cauchi, Chloe Chambers, Danielle Stephen, Abigayle Honeywill and Lucy Ashenden.

Guys and Dolls is directed by Gordon Greenberg who has directed plays and musicals at major theatres across America and Europe, written for television and stage, and runs the musical theatre program at The New Group in New York, where he is based. He directed the current revival of Guys and Dolls for Chichester Festival Theatre, which is now running in London’s West End.  He will direct his adaptation of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn on Broadway in October, 2016.

Born in Texas and raised in New York, Greenberg performed in his first Broadway show at age 12.  He attended Stanford University and NYU Film School before joining J. Walter Thompson Worldwide for a stint as a producer/director of commercials.  He then moved back into theatre -- first performing on Broadway and on television and soon directing and writing.  He is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, The Writers Guild of America, The Dramatists Guild, and the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab.

Choreographer Carlos Acosta trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba, and has danced as a principal with English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba and Houston Ballet. He is a Principal Guest Artist with The Royal Ballet and appears worldwide with companies including ABT, Paris Opera Ballet, Kirov, Bolshoi and Australian Ballet, and has created roles in contemporary ballets both with The Royal Ballet and internationally. He has staged several shows across Europe and for Sadler’s Wells include the semi-autobiographical Tocororo and Carlos Acosta with Guests from The Royal Ballet for which he won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his performances. Screen credits as an actor include the feature films New York, I Love You and Day of the Flowers.

The music and lyrics for Guys and Dolls are by Frank Loesser, whose credits include How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and the song ‘Baby, It's Cold Outside’. The book is by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Burrows' credits include How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Swerling's credits include the seminal film It's A Wonderful Life.

Tickets:

Guys and Dolls plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 22^nd March – Saturday 2^nd April 2016. Tickets are from £17.50 (pay less online) and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).