Taking a gamble: Music Theater Works opens its season with beloved musical ‘Guys and Dolls’
“Guys and Dolls” was a smash Broadway hit in the 1950s and is built around subject matter two decades before that, but that doesn’t mean it has lost its luster for 21st-century audiences, say two Wheaton natives playing lead roles in a new production of the popular musical.
Music Theater Works is kicking off its 2025 season with what has been called the “perfect musical” and one of the most popular shows of its genre in a production at Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Set in New York City, the romantic comedy centers around career gambler Sky Masterson and his girlfriend Miss Adelaide, with whom he has been engaged for 14 years.
Wheaton native Kristin Britnall, a preschool and music teacher, plays Adelaide and describes her as the ultimate portrayal of patience.The musical builds its appeal by connecting audiences with Adelaide’s frustration with her partner’s lack of commitment in their romantic relationship.
“A lot of people, especially adults, can relate to when you love someone so much, and you’re willing to have all of the patience — sometimes too much patience — in the world for them,” Britnall said.
Meanwhile Cary Lovett, who plays cheerful gambler Nicely Nicely Johnson, says that what is most enjoyable about the musical is that it remains fun and entertaining 75 years after it first made its splash on Broadway.
The show is filled with still-recognizable numbers like “Luck Be a Lady,” popularized by singer Frank Sinatra in a 1955 film adaptation of the show. And the costumes, mannerisms and language help transport audiences back to the mid-20th century, Britnall says.
In his second revival of the role of Nicely Nicely Johnson, Wheaton native Lovett said he aims to bring the same upbeat energy that kept the audience on their toes in the past, while also adding features to create a new performance.
“The original Nicely Nicely, a man named Stubby Kaye, plays it very understated,” Lovett said. “I bring a little more dynamic to it. I’d like to think that Nicely Nicely, he surprises you.”
There will be more than 15 show dates for the brassy, lively musical.
While it was written and popularized in the 1950s, the heart of the show, which is about literally and figuratively “taking a gamble,” continues to make it relevant today, Britnall said.
“Audiences today can take away the fact that the greatest things that come from life all start with a gamble. They all come from a risk,” Britnall said.
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“Guys and Dolls”
When: 7 p.m. Friday, March 7; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8; and 2 p.m. Sundays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, through March 30
Where: North Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
Tickets: Start at $21 at musictheaterworks.com/2025-season/guys-and-dolls/