THERE were cries for more at the Bristol Hippodrome last night as the cast from Guys and Dolls received a standing ovation from the baying audience.

The sell-out crowd was forced to its feet after a sterling performance brought the 1950s classic to life.

The plot, set in the seedy 1920s underworld of America’s Broadway, follows go-go dancers and illegal gamblers as they love, lose and make ends meet under bright neon lights.

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo, in their BBC Radio Five film show, employee the “six laugh test”, where any film can be lauded a comedic success if it gives the watcher a genuine chuckle at least half a dozen times.

Guys and Dolls passed this stringent test within the first 20 minutes, as sleazy jokes and one-liners were interwoven with outstanding musical performances from a talented cast.

Richard Fleeshman, playing suave gambler Sky Masterson, provided a strong backbone for the proceedings, with some stand-out singing.

He was joined by pretty puritan Sara Brown, played by Anna O’Byrne, on a mission to change the evil ways of Broadway’s scores of gamblers.

Long suffering fiancé Miss Adelaide, played by Louise Dearman, stole the show with her nasally voice and quick wisecracks, with the help of Maxwell Caulfield, playing Nathan Detroit.

It’s no mean feat, putting on a classic like Guys and Dolls, but if the crowd’s cheers were anything to go by, these guys pulled it off with flying colours.

The show will be on at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday night.