The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced initial casting for its Broadway Center Stage production of Guys and Dolls. Helmed by Marc Bruni (Beautiful, 50 Years of Broadway at the Kennedy Center, Broadway Center Stage: The Music Man), the all-star cast will be led by Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Hamilton, 50 Years of Broadway at the Kennedy Center) as Nathan Detroit, Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller (The Minutes, Waitress, Broadway Center Stage: The Music Man) as Miss Adelaide, Steven Pasquale (The Bridges of Madison County, Junk) as Sky Masterson, and Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Phillipa Soo (Into the Woods, Hamilton) as Sarah Brown. Guys and Dolls plays the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater, from October 7 to 16, 2022. Tickets are currently available to Kennedy Center Members and will go on sale to the public on Thursday, August 4, via the Kennedy Center website or by calling 202-467-4600.
“After a two-year hiatus, it is so exciting to return Broadway Center Stage to the Kennedy Center, bigger and better than ever as full musical productions,” said Vice President and Executive Producer of Theater Jeffrey Finn. “I can think of no better way to bring back Kennedy Center–produced theater than with this incredible team and stars collaborating on this iconic Broadway musical.”
This Tony-winning favorite by composer/lyricist Frank Loesser and book writers Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows has been hailed by many as a perfect musical comedy. Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City of the 1950s, Guys and Dolls follows a rowdy bunch of gamblers, gangsters, and showgirls in a wild game of chance—all set to Loesser’s immortal score featuring songs such as “Adelaide’s Lament” and “Luck Be a Lady.”
Backed by an on-stage Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the production will feature choreography by Denis Jones, music direction by Kevin Stites, scenic design by Paul Tate dePoo III, costume design by Mara Blumenfeld, lighting design by Cory Pattak, sound design by Kai Harada and Haley Parcher, and casting by JZ Casting.
Guys and Dolls is presented as a part of Broadway Center Stage—a Kennedy Center–produced series conceived and executive produced by Jeffrey Finn. The series has become a hit with both critics and audiences alike with star-studded performances of Next to Normal, Footloose, The Who’s Tommy, The Music Man, Little Shop of Horrors, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, In the Heights, and Chess. Following Guys and Dolls, the 2022/23 season will continue with the Tony Award–winning Best Musicals Sunset Boulevard, starring Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block, and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
CAST BIOS
James Monroe Iglehart (Nathan Detroit). Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart is a native of the San Francisco Bay area. He most recently played Billy Flynn in Chicago on Broadway. He appeared on Broadway in two productions simultaneously—in the smash-hit Hamilton playing Lafayette/Jefferson, and with Freestyle Love Supreme as their special guest star. He made his Broadway debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Iglehart then originated the role of Bobby in Memphis on Broadway before landing the role of Genie in Aladdin. For his work as the Genie, Iglehart won both the Tony Award® and the Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Iglehart made his sold-out solo debut at 54 Below in a show entitled How the Heck Did I Get Here? He was brought back for a sold-out return engagement shortly thereafter. James has brought his act to concert venues across the country. He recurred on the Netflix series Maniac opposite Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Coriolanus Burt, the rival of Titus Andromedon played by Tituss Burgess. Iglehart also guest starred on Girls5Eva, Sesame Street, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Perfect Harmony, Gotham, Elementary, and The Good Wife. He lent his voice to the characters Lance Strongbow and Taurus Bulba for Disney’s hit animated shows Tangled and DuckTales. He made his feature debut opposite Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, and Jullianna Margulies in Three Christs. He appears in the upcoming feature film Disenchanted from Disney. This, and all things, for his amazing wife Dawn.
Jessie Mueller (Miss Adelaide) most recently appeared on Broadway in The Minutes, written by Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning playwright Tracy Letts. She also recently starred as Marian Paroo in The Kennedy Center’s The Music Man. Prior to that, Mueller portrayed Julie Jordan in the critically acclaimed Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, for which she received a Tony nomination and Drama Desk Award. She originated the role of Jenna in the musical Waitress (Tony, Drama Desk, and Grammy award nominations). She earned all three awards for her starring role as Carole King in Beautiful—The Carole King Musical. Other major Broadway credits include Nice Work if You Can Get It, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood (Drama Desk nomination), and her Broadway debut as Melinda in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever opposite Harry Connick, Jr. (Tony® and Drama Desk nominations). She portrayed Carrie Pipperidge in the New York Philharmonic’s staged concert production of Carousel at Lincoln Center. Film and Television appearances include starring as Loretta Lynn in Patsy & Loretta for Lifetime, Steven Spielberg’s The Post, as well as guest star appearances in Candy, Evil, Madam Secretary, and Blue Bloods. She was also nominated for a Chicago Emmy for her work in Chicago Voices for PBS’ Great Performances series.
Steven Pasquale (Sky Masterson) is highly regarded for his work onstage. On Broadway, he most recently starred opposite Kerry Washington in Kenny Leon’s acclaimed production of American Son, which was later filmed for Netflix. He previously starred in LCT’s acclaimed production of Junk, penned by Ayad Akhtar. He received both Drama Desk and Drama League nominations for his portrayal of Robert in Bartlett Sher and Jason Robert Brown’s The Bridges of Madison County opposite Kelli O’Hara, reprising the role that he originated at Williamstown. Off-Broadway, he won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Alex Timbers’ production of The Robber Bridegroom at the Roundabout. Pasquale also received Drama Desk and OCC nominations for the Ahrens/Flaherty/McNally musical adaptation of A Man of No Importance at LCT. He recently starred in CSC’s Lucille Lortel-nominated production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins, directed by John Doyle. On television, Pasquale recently wrapped Peacock’s The Missing from creator David E. Kelley and director Barry Levinson. Pasquale garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Detective Mark Fuhrman on FX’s award-winning limited series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. He is well known for his portrayal of firefighter Sean Garrity in the hit FX series Rescue Me. Pasquale has also appeared in Showtime’s The Comey Rule and Billions, HBO’s Six Feet Under and Divorce, Netflix’s Bloodline, CBS’s The Good Wife, and Sofia Coppola’s Platinum. On film, Pasquale appeared in Twentieth Century Fox’s Alien vs. Predator: Requiem and Aurora Borealis.
Phillipa Soo (Sarah Brown) is best known for originating the role of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in Broadway’s critically acclaimed show Hamilton, earning her Tony nomination and a Grammy win. She was also nominated for an Emmy for the filmed version. Soo most recently starred as Cinderella in the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim classic Into the Woods at Broadway’s St. James Theatre. On television, Soo can currently be seen in Hulu’s Dopesick and in AppleTV+’s Shining Girls. Film credits include Netflix’s Over the Moon, and Tick, Tick… Boom!, as well as Disney+‘s The One and Only Ivan. Other credits include The Broken Hearts Gallery and Here and Now. Other theater credits include Broadway’s The Parisian Woman, and the title role in the Broadway musical Amelie. Soo also originated the role of Natasha Rostova in the off-Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.
