ROLL the dice, the game is on again for Paul Laidlaw, who is directing the swell Broadway musical Guys And Dolls for a second time.

"I did it a long time ago, it must be about 15 years ago, at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre," says Paul, whose new production for York Musical Theatre Company opens at York Theatre Royal on Wednesday.

"You can do more with the show here: just the sheer technicalities are so much better, and the cast is better too, and we have a lovely new set by Dave Benson, whose designs for Titanic at the Theatre Royal worked so well."

Leading the cast will be John Haigh in the role of suave gambler Sky Masterson, Richard Bainbridge as crap-game operator Nathan Detroit, Jessa Liversidge (nee Marshall) as Salvation Army stalwart Sarah Brown and Toni Feetenby as Miss Adelaide, the Hot-Box Club doll who longs to marry, settle down and escape the life of gambling and crap-shooters in Manhattan. Further prominent roles go to John Ramsden as Arvide, Mick Liversidge as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Sam Coulson as Benny Southstreet, his first grown-up role at the age of 15.

"Sam was the obvious choice to play Ben: he's very talented, he looks right for the part, more like 19 than 15, and he plays comedy very well, beyond his years," Paul says.

Benson and Laidlaw are giving the show a "sort of fantasy look". "I use that 'fantasy' word advisedly. You can go for realism in Guys And Dolls with dark suits or you can say let's be colourful, just like in The Wizard Of Oz when Dorothy steps out into the world of Oz and the colours are so vibrant," says Paul.

"I've gone for that because it makes it more entertaining apart from anything else. So we've got very bright colours, pinks and yellows and sky blue, and Wayne Martin has created some very eye-catching costumes for the Hot-Box Club with lots of feathers.

"The show looks both stylish and stylised, and it's nice to have something pretty to look as well as listen to. Besides, you have to decide whether you're making a deep political statement or having an entertaining evening where you're not worried about the world, and there's nothing of great political significance in Guys And Dolls, so why pretend there is?"

Guys And Dolls, York Musical Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal, Wednesday to May 7. Box office: 01904 623568.

Updated: 16:31 Thursday, April 21, 2005