CHICAGO—"Guys and Dolls,” about colorful gamblers and underworld characters, is such a frothy, lighthearted musical comedy that few would have believed Frank Loesser’s 1950 Broadway show would run for 1,200 performances and win the Tony Award for Best Musical. But it did in 1951.

The Crapshooters assemble, in "Guys and Dolls." Brett Beiner