From Ballet to Broadway and Black and Billy Wilson’s Guys and Dolls
Billy Wilson, famed dancer and choreographer who spent most of his career with the Dutch National Ballet, wanted to create a Black version of Frank Loesser’s Broadway show Guys and Dolls in 1976. In an interview with The New York Times, Wilson described the adaptation of the classic: “it was like taking chicken soup and making it a little more gumbo.” Wilson said he first got the idea to do a black version of “Guys and Dolls” [in 1972], after he staged a white production of the show at Brandeis University, where he was then head of the dance program. He continued: “I thought there were many things in it that translate to the black experience. For example, the Save A Soul Mission that Sister Sarah runs, which is close to our storefront churches and evangelistic things, and the gambling and the showgirls, which are very much a part of the black experience. Updated and given a bit of juice and soul, I thought it would be great—and fun. So when Moe Septee, one of the producers of ‘Bubbling Brown Sugar,’ spoke with me about what I wanted to do next, I said ‘Guys and Dolls.’”
Based on the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, directed and choreographed by Billy Wilson and produced under the supervision of Abe Burrows, Guys and Dolls was shown at the Broadway Theatre on 1681 Broadway (West 53rd Street), New York, NY from July 11, 1976 to July 21, 1976. The show was performed by Norma Donaldson (Miss Adelaide), Robert Guillame (Nathan Detroit), Ernestine Jackson (Sarah Brown), James Randolph (Sky Masterson), Edye Byrde (General Matilda B. Cartwright), Clark Morgan (Lt. Brannigan), Ken Page (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Christophe Pierre (Benny Southstreet), Emett “Babe” Wallace (Arvide Abernathy), Derrick Bell (Guy, Joey Biltmore, Waiter), Toney Brealond (Guy), Jymie Charles (Angie the Ox, Guy), Bardell Conner (Calvin, Guy), Prudence Darby (Doll, Mimi), Irene Datcher (Agatha), Alvin Davis (Swing Dancer), Jacquelyn DuBois (Doll), Anna Maria Fowlkes (Doll), Helen Gelzer (Doll), Nathan Jennings, Jr. (Guy), Julia Lema (Doll), Bill Mackey (Guy), Sterling McQueen (Guy, Rusty Charlie), Marion Moore (Martha), John Russell (Harry the Horse), Jacqueline Smith-Lee (Doll), Freda T. Vanterpool (Swing Dancer), Walter White (Big Jule), Eddie Wright, Jr. (Guy), and Dance Captain Andy Torres (Drunk, Guy, Hot Box MC).
Scenic design: Tom H. John
Costume Design: Bernard Johnson
Lighting Design: Thomas R. Skelton
Sound Design: Sander Hacker
Hair Design: Irvin Dett
Music Orchestrations and Arrangements: Danny Holgate and Horace Ott
Choral Arrangements: Howard A. Roberts
Production Stage Manager: R. Derek Swire
Stage Manager: Clinton Jackson
Assistant Stage Manager: Bonnie Sue Schloss
General Manager: Laurel Ann Wilson
Producer: Moe Septee in association with Victor Potamkin, Frank Enterprises, and Beresford Productions, Inc.
Associate Producer: Ashton Springer and Carmen F. Zollo
The synopsis for the show reads: “With its brassy, immortal score, this oddball romantic comedy is considered by many to be the perfect musical. Will Nathan Detroit find a location for the secret craps game? Will Adelaide finally get a wedding after her fourteen-year engagement? Will what happened in Havana, stay in Havana? This fun, new production, filled with exciting choreography, is the perfect outing for family and friends during the holiday season.”
Sources:
‘Guys and Dolls’ Comes Back, The New York Times
Guys and Dolls Revival, Playbill
More about the Broadway Theatre
Broadway Theatre: “The present-day Broadway Theatre opened in 1924 as a movie theatre and vaudeville house known as B.S. Moss’s Colony Theatre. In 1930, the venue became a legitimate house named the Broadway Theatre. Because of its large stage and seating capacity, the Broadway Theatre has remained a popular home for musicals, notably Funny Girl, the original Cabaret, and the first three years of the long-running Les Misérables.” The theatre seats 1738 people and is located at 1681 Broadway (West 53rd Street), New York, NY.
Sources:
More about Billy Wilson
Billy Wilson, director and choreographer, was a native of Philadelphia where he received his early dance training at the Sydney King School. At 15, he received a scholarship to study classical ballet with Antony Tudor, artistic director of The Philadelphia Guild Ballet School and company. At 19, he made his New York debut in the City Center production of Carmen Jones, followed by appearances in the Broadway production Bells Are Ringing, starring Judy Holiday, and Jamaica, starring Lena Horne.
He received numerous awards for his work including an Emmy Award and a Charlie Award as well as nominations for the Drama Desk Award and three Tony nominations, among others. Over the course of his diverse career, Wilson choreographed nearly 30 ballets for some of the most celebrated companies both in the US and in Europe. His ballets continue to be in the repertoires of such companies as Philadanco and The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His last ballet The Winter in Lisbon was chosen by Ms. Judith Jamison to be included among her favorites when she was honored at City Center before handing the torch to Robert Battle. One of the aspects of his career that made his success unique was his ability to simultaneously straddle Broadway, the ballet world, and academia consistently and seamlessly. He enjoyed a very exciting and successful residency for over five years as associate professor at Carnegie-Mellon University in the Fine Arts/Drama Department in Pittsburgh, PA.
Sources:
Nicole Toney
