The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) presents the “perfect musical,” Guys and Dolls, November 10 -12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mannoni Performing Arts Center.

This marks the first full-scale musical on the MPAC stage in three years. Tickets are on sale at southernmisstickets.com, 601.266.5418 or 800.844.8425.

“This is wonderful, feel-good way to return to the MPAC stage in glorious fashion,” said director Mike Lopinto. “This cast has really pulled out all the stops for a big evening of singing, dancing, and comedy that will be the perfect night out.”

Frank Loesser’s brassy, immortal score is brought to life by Dr. Michael Miles, music director, with members of the Symphony Orchestra.

Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler Nathan Detroit tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for 14 years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the strait-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result.

The creative team sought ways to express the excitement of return to the theater. Lopinto’s Hub City Players colleague, Tammy Mansfield, suggested a graphic novel look for costuming and a light bulb moment sent Lopinto off on a set design and lighting mission. This iconic Broadway fable takes on new life, set in bright colors and pop art flare of a graphic novel.

A pair of giant dice greet the audience as they enter and represent life – constantly turning. The vivid but two-dimensional worlds of New York and Havana are juxtaposed with the colorless but full-of-depth world of the mission. Similarly, the costumes, hair and makeup “follow the fold” and enhance this stark difference. How these two worlds collide is at the crux of the plot.

One of the greatest musical comedies of all-time, Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950. It received nearly unanimous positive reviews from critics and won a bevy of awards, including Tony Awards, Drama Desks and Oliviers.