Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society present one of the most popular musicals ever written, Guys and Dolls, as they make a welcome return to the Theatre Royal Bath with a cast of local talent from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 May.
An audience favourite, this fast-paced show features a host of famous numbers including Luck Be A Lady, Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat, I’ve Never Been in Love Before and, the title song, Guys and Dolls.
Small-time gambler Nathan Detroit desperately needs $1,000 to set up the biggest craps game in town, while the New York authorities breathe down his neck. On the other hand, neighbourhood missionary, Sarah Brown desperately needs “one dozen genuine sinners”. In order to get the cash, Nathan bets Sky Masterson, the highest roller of them all, that he can’t make the next woman he sees fall in love with him, and when that lady happens to be Sarah Brown, the odds are stacked against him. But all bets are off when Sky falls in love.
Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls is based on Damon Runyon's mythical stories of the New York underworld with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Saints and sinners combine for an unforgettable evening’s entertainment filled with a host of colourful characters including Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Harry the Horse, Benny Southstreet, Big Jule, and Nathan’s long-suffering fiancée, night club singer, Adelaide.
This heart-warming classic has won numerous awards since it first opened on Broadway in 1950, where it became one of the greatest successes the stage has ever known, running for more than 1200 performances and winning 5 Tony Awards. The film version, starring Hollywood legends Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine (recreating her stage role as Adelaide), had the highest box-office gross of 1955. In recent years, major stage revivals of the musical have also triumphed, breaking box office records at the National Theatre in the 1980s, winning Tony Awards on Broadway in the 1990s, and thrilling audiences and critics alike in the West End in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
One of the most well-established amateur companies in the region, Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society (BODS) presents a cast of 32 local performers, aged from 21 to 70 years, who hail from Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire. BODS return to the Theatre Royal following their recent productions of Crazy for You, which won the Rose Bowl Award for Best Musical Production, Legally Blonde, Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady.
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Grant McCotter and Jane Knowles play the comic lead roles of Nathan Detroit and Adelaide. Grant, who appeared as Broadway impresario Bela Zangler in Crazy for You for BODS last year, has performed in more than 50 productions with a wide range of companies across the Bath and Bristol area. He first started performing with the award-winning Sodbury Players in 2004. Hailing from Radstock, Jane has been involved in many local productions, most recently playing Tess in Crazy for You, for which she was also Dance Captain for BODS, and Little Sally in Spare Room Theatre Company’s production of Urinetown.
Finn Tickel and Charlotte Hunter play the romantic lead roles of Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown. London-born Finn has spent three years studying Drama at Bath Spa University. Now performing in his fourth show with BODS, and in his first lead role for the company at the Theatre Royal, Finn can also regularly be seen performing stand-up comedy at venues in Bath and Bristol, and busking in Bath. This will be Finn’s last show with BODS before he starts studying at The London School of Musical Theatre in September. Charlotte grew up in Bristol and pursued her love of music at university, where she studied Performance and Education. Now a Primary School teacher and a mum, Charlotte has performed in many amateur theatre shows in Bristol and Bath, including playing the lead roles of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Glinda in The Wizard of Oz and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance.
The large cast also features Pip Knowles as Benny Southstreet, Paul Hobbs as Harry the Horse, and George Miles – who works as a Front of House Usher and Stage Door Keeper at the Theatre Royal – as Nicely-Nicely Johnson.
Director Steve Blackmore returns to lead the creative team following his last award-winning production for BODS at the Theatre Royal Bath, Crazy for You. Steve has been involved in local theatre for over 40 years; acting in more than 100 productions for a range of companies in Bristol, including Bristol Musical Comedy Club, Backstage Productions and his own theatre company, Theatreworx. He has also choreographed 15 productions and directed more than 20 shows, including Legally Blonde for BODS at the Theatre Royal Bath in 2020; The Producers and Jekyll & Hyde for Bristol Amateur Operatic Society, and the UK premieres of High Fidelity, Side Show and The Life for his own company.
Guys and Dolls features a professional orchestra conducted by Musical Director James Finbow. James began directing music for pantomimes and variety shows at the age of 15, before working on concerts, workshops and full-scale musicals. This is his first show for BODS at the Theatre Royal Bath as Musical Director, after joining the company last year as rehearsal pianist for Crazy for You. James also works as Project Manager for Dorothy House Hospice.
The creative team is completed by Choreographer Annette Wilsher, who completed a Dance Degree and runs her own community dance school, Bop About Dance, teaching children and adults in Bradford-on-Avon. Annette has choreographed a wide variety of musicals since 2010 and continues to perform, as well as teaching. Her recent choreography credits include the Rose Bowl Award-winning Crazy for You in 2022, Legally Blonde in 2020, Sister Act in 2018, Me and My Girl in 2017, The Witches of Eastwick in 2014 and The Mikado in 2013.
Established in 1894, and originally called Bath Amateurs, Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society’s illustrious history includes many acclaimed performances, with recent success at the Rose Bowl Awards, including Best Musical Production for Crazy for You in 2022, Best Dramatic Production for Arcadia in 2018 and Best Choreography for West Side Story in 2016.
Guys and Dolls appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 May. To book tickets call the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk
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