the number, when Sky finally rolls the dice after everyone has
been singing and dancing at some length. The final beat occurs
on the “Ha!” of the gamblers as Sky throws the dice. We don’t
see the outcome of the roll, but we don’t need to. The reversal
takes effect when the book resumes in the next scene. Sky has
won. The gamblers are on their way to the Mission, and the
book is now able to proceed to a reconciliation between the
lovers.
It transpires that a second pair of lovers, Nathan Detroit
and Miss Adelaide, also find themselves headed for marriage
as a result of Sky’s climactic throw of the dice. But they do not
THE BOOK AND THE NUMBERS 45
Figure2. The turning point in Guys and Dolls. Robert Alda as Sky
Masterson, rolling the dice to win the gamblers’ souls in the original
production. Museum of the City of New York.