The GREAT Theatre Presents the Glitz and Grime of New York With “Guys and Dolls”

(KNSI) – Virtue, but mostly vice, will take the stage at the Paramount Theatre over the next two weekends.

GREAT Theatre is kicking off its 2023-24 season with the Broadway classic “Guys and Dolls.” Artistic and Education Director Kendra Norton Dando says there is a lot to sink your teeth into. “It’s so much fun. The characters are big, they’re brassy! You know, you get to play a gambler or a hotbox girl…who doesn’t want to dive into those roles?”

Performances run through Sunday and then on the 22nd through the 24th. The show takes audiences from the glamor of New York City and Havana to the dark and dreary underground. Norton Dando says the production team has had its hands full giving a spotlight to all the different locations.

“We have a really lovely two-level set that takes us kind of up into the air, and then we also have a scene that transitions us into the sewers of New York. So, the challenge, of course, with any theatrical production is, how do you get all these locations with one set?”

“Guys and Dolls” was met with nearly unanimous praise when it originally debuted in 1950. It would go on to run for 1,200 productions and pick up a Tony Award for Best Musical. Critics called it a perfect musical comedy, and now you have a chance to see it in central Minnesota.

“Guys and Dolls” was originally scheduled for the lost year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Norton Dando says GREAT Theatre has not put it on for 20 years. Audiences and the actors within the organization have been clamoring for it for a long time.

A link for showtimes and tickets is here.

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