Reception
The original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls opened to unanimously positive reviews. Critics praised the musical's faithfulness to Damon Runyon's style and characterizations. Richard Watts of the New York Post said "Guys and Dolls is just what it should be to celebrate the Runyon spirit... filled with the salty characters and richly original language sacred to the memory of the late Master". William Hawkins of the New York World-Telegram & Sun stated, "It recaptures what knew aboud Broadway, that its wickedness is tinhorn, but its gallantry is as pure and young as Little Eva". Robert Coleman of the New York Daily Mirror declared, "We think Damon would have relished it as much as we did".
The book and score were greatly praised as well; John Chapman of the Daily News declared, "The book is a work of easy and delightful humor. Its music and lyrics, by Frank Loesser, are so right for the show and so completely lacking in banality, that they amount to an artistic triumph". Coleman stated, "Frank Loesser has written a score that will get a big play on the juke boxes, over the radio, and in bistros throughout the land. His lyrics are especially notable in that they help Burrows's topical gags to further the plot". In The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson wrote, "Mr. Loesser's lyrics and songs have the same affectionate appreciation of the material as the book, which is funny without being self-conscious or mechanical".
Multiple critics asserted that the work was of great significance to musical theatre. John McClain of the New York Journal American proclaimed, "it is the best and most exciting thing of its kind since Pal Joey. It is a triumph and a delight". Atkinson stated, "we might as well admit that Guys and Dolls is a work of art. It is spontaneous and has form, style, and spirit." Chapman asserted, "In all departments, Guys and Dolls is a perfect musical comedy".
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