{"id":17336,"date":"2023-02-03T22:46:16","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T22:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/?p=17336"},"modified":"2025-04-21T07:16:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T07:16:20","slug":"from-ballet-to-broadway-and-black-billy-wilsons-guys-and-dolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/2023\/02\/03\/from-ballet-to-broadway-and-black-billy-wilsons-guys-and-dolls\/","title":{"rendered":"From Ballet to Broadway and Black: Billy Wilson’s Guys and Dolls"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Ballet to Broadway and Black and Billy Wilson’s\u00a0Guys and Dolls<\/em><\/h2>\n
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See Billy Wilson’s Guys and Dolls Orbit in From Ballet To Broadway And Black<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Billy Wilson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Billy Wilson<\/a>, 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<\/em> in 1976. In an interview with\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>, Wilson described the adaptation of the classic: \u201cit was like taking chicken soup and making it a little more gumbo.\u201d Wilson said he first got the idea to do a black version of \u201cGuys and Dolls\u201d [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: \u201cI 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\u2014and fun. So when Moe Septee, one of the producers of \u2018Bubbling Brown Sugar,\u2019 spoke with me about what I wanted to do next, I said \u2018Guys and Dolls.’\u201d<\/p>\n

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Guys and Dolls Playbill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Guys and Dolls Program Page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Guys and Dolls Program Page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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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,\u00a0Guys and Dolls<\/em> 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).<\/p>\n

Scenic design: Tom H. John
\nCostume Design: Bernard Johnson
\nLighting Design: Thomas R. Skelton
\nSound Design: Sander Hacker
\nHair Design: Irvin Dett
\nMusic Orchestrations and Arrangements: Danny Holgate and Horace Ott
\nChoral Arrangements: Howard A. Roberts
\nProduction Stage Manager: R. Derek Swire
\nStage Manager: Clinton Jackson
\nAssistant Stage Manager: Bonnie Sue Schloss
\nGeneral Manager: Laurel Ann Wilson
\nProducer: Moe Septee in association with Victor Potamkin, Frank Enterprises, and Beresford Productions, Inc.
\nAssociate Producer: Ashton Springer and Carmen F. Zollo<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

‘Guys and Dolls’ Comes Back, The New York Times<\/a>
\nGuys and Dolls Revival, Playbill<\/a><\/p>\n

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More about the Broadway Theatre<\/h2>\n
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Broadway Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Broadway Theatre: \u201cThe 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<\/span><\/i>, the original <\/span>Cabaret<\/span><\/i>, and the first three years of the long-running <\/span>Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/span><\/i>.\u201d The theatre seats 1738 people and is located at 1681 Broadway (West 53rd Street), New York, NY.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Broadway Theatre, Playbill<\/a><\/p>\n

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More about Billy Wilson<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Billy Wilson, director and choreographer, was a native of Philadelphia where he received his early dance training at the\u00a0Sydney King School<\/a>. 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\u00a0Carmen Jones<\/em>, followed by appearances in the Broadway production\u00a0Bells Are Ringing<\/em>, starring Judy Holiday, and\u00a0Jamaica<\/em>, starring Lena Horne.<\/p>\n

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<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

See more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Billy Wilson, MoBBallet<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\" Nicole Toney<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Ballet to Broadway and Black and Billy Wilson’s\u00a0Guys and Dolls Billy Wilson, famed dancer and choreographer who spent most of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"universe-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[301,253],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-ballet-to-broadway-and-black","category-universe"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17336"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18767,"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17336\/revisions\/18767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}