The University of Southern California’s production of Guys and Dolls reimagines the classic musical across ten blocks of Times Square in 1932, just before Franklin D. Roosevelt’s election. Set during the final days of Prohibition and the height of the Great Depression, this version adds a twist to the stakes of Runyon’s world. The stories of Sky Masterson, Sarah Brown, Nathan Detroit, and Miss Adelaide unfold in a city clinging to hope, caught between collapse and reform, where every corner promises a gamble and a second chance.

Performed in a traditional proscenium theatre, the production uses a fully dimensional set that transforms fluidly without relying on painted backdrops or blackouts. Two towering periaktoi on the edges of the stage rotate to reveal shifting environments while every set piece is cleverly repurposed to keep the action seamless and surprising. Above the stage, billboard-style signs act as projection surfaces, displaying dynamic imagery that grounds each location and evokes the chaos and glamour of Depression-era New York. This inventive staging blurs the line between realism and theatricality, turning the city itself into an ever-changing character in a show driven by movement, rhythm, and reinvention.