Guys and Dolls

You wouldn't think a hard-boiled sportswriter could inspire a classic musical, but Damon Runyon was no ordinary man. His sideline for many years was spinning stories about the gentlemen and ladies of the New York underworld, all delivered in a stylized manner, with much slang and no past-tense verbs. It's these stories of gamblers, chorus girls and mob enforcers that inspired Guys and Dolls, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Nathan Detroit runs a floating craps game in need of a safe location for the next game, but he's broke. If he can win a cool $1,000 off inveterate gambler Sky Masterson, Nathan will have his stake to arrange the craps game. The bet is simple: Sky must take a dame to dinner in Havana — and Nathan gets to select the lady. He chooses the pious missionary Sarah Brown, and Sky takes the bet. What follows is race against time, heavy-handed cop Brannigan and real love. The Muny opens its summer season with Guys and Dolls. Performances are at 8:15 p.m. Monday through Sunday (June 10 to 16) at the Muny in Forest Park (www.muny.org). Tickets are $15 to $105.