Don Johnson to Star in London Guys and Dolls in '07

Don Johnson will make his West End debut as Nathan Detroit in the hit London revival of Guys and Dolls.

He will join the production in January of 2007.  Fellow movie star Patrick Swayze departs the show on November 25th. 

Alex Ferns will play the role in the meantime; the British TV and stage actor will begin playing the marriage-evading gambler the week of December 4th.

A stage veteran who trained at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, Johnson has appeared in such films as Goodbye Lover, Tin Cup, Guilty as Sin, Born Yesterday, Paradise and The Hot Spot.  Also a recording artist, Johnson is best known for his work on TV's "Miami Vice" (for which he won a 1985 Golden Globe Award) and "Nash Bridges."

Guys and Dolls opened in London on June 1st, 2005 with a lustrous cast in tow--Ewan McGregor (as Sky Masterson), Jane Krakowski (as Miss Adelaide), Russell (as Sarah Brown) and Douglas Hodge (as Nathan Detroit). The show, which has been a big commercial hit, also received a strong critical reception. Directed by Grandage and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford (who reunited for the hit London Evita revival), the show is a somewhat grittier interpretation of the classic musical, which is set in a New York world of gamblers, gangsters, chorus girls and Sarah Brown, a Salvation Army girl who wants to reform all of them. Of course, Sarah also falls in love with gambler Sky Masterson.

The production also stars Samantha Janus as Miss Adelaide, Amy Nuttall as Sarah Brown and Norman Bowman as Sky Masterson. The musical is produced by the Donmar Warehouse, The Ambassador Theatre Group and Live Nation in association with Arielle Tepper and David Binder, Tulchin/Bartner Productions and IC Productions.

Guys and Dolls opened at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24th, 1950 and won the 1951 Tony Award for Best Musical. Running for 1,200 performances, it featured Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, Isabel Bigley and Sam Levene as its leads. Based on the stories of Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls features a score by Loesser and a book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. There have been 3 Broadway revivals, and a 1955 film starred Marlon Brando, Blaine, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons.

It was announced in October of 2005 that the musical is likely to transfer to Broadway, although no details have been confirmed.

Call (0)870 060 0123 for more information on the West End production, or visit www.guysanddollsthemusical.com.