It’s all too tempting to fall into New York argot when reviewing Guys and Dolls. That’s the kind of impression this ultra-memorable musical makes. You walk out singing, longing to find that floating crap game, or take the ultimate gamble on love.

Robb Patterson’s production only intensifies the temptation. Here, in the Winnipeg-raised production, is a world where the streets are grungy, the lights bright, and the plaid suits even louder. There is a tawdry joy at the heart of this Guys and Dolls. While Miss Adelaide and her girls sing "A Bushel and a Peck" at the Hot Box Club, the gamblers and ne’er do wells of Broadway search for "...the oldest established ‘poimenant’ floating crap game..."

In a nutshell, this is this classic show’s dichotomy. The guys are guys and the dolls doing everything in their power to change their backsliding ways. That old harlot, Lady Luck holds everyone in thrall. This being a musical, the tables do get turned and even the most inveterate gambler sees the light.

Patterson’s version of the 1950 classic is a lark, but one with heart. The names–Sky Masterson, Nathan Detroit, Harry the Horse, Big Jule–may be fragrantly over the top, but the characterizations are not. When Sky (John Devorski) realizes he’s fallen for the straitlaced Holy Roller Sarah Brown (Mairi Babb) and launches into the soaring "I’ve Never Been in Love Before," it’s impossible not to deny the emotion of the moment (Kleenex required!). Similarly when Miss Adelaide (Jennifer Lyon) delivers "Adelaide’s Lament" on a gleaming, comedic silver platter, there’s a captivating vulnerability beneath the polished patter. Life is a gamble says the show, and love’s the biggest gamble in life.

However, it isn’t life lessons that spring to mind when Guys and Dolls is mentioned, it’s the iconic numbers–"Fugue for Tin Horns," "Luck be a Lady," "Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat." While a crack chorus spins and shimmies its way through Timothy French’s tight choreography, the cast opens its collective mouth and belts the tunes to an appreciative audience. As Nicely-Nicely, Steve Ross, last seen in A Year With Frog and Toad, is a stirring evangelist in the rousing "Sit Down..." He tag teams engagingly with the equally personable Lee MacDougall’s character Benny in the title song. Similarly Lyon and Gordon Tanner capture the endearing qualities of the ever-sparring Nathan Detroit and Adelaide, raising the duo above mere stereotyping.

In this incredibly strong script, perhaps the most problematic roles are those of Sarah Brown and Sky Masterson. She’s uptight, he’s an affable rogue. Devorski’s take on Masterson needs a soupcon more danger to make him truly irresistible–as it is, he’s love’s young dream in a beautiful suit with a supple vocal lyricism. Sarah Brown is written a bit too demurely–her mischievous side only emerges once in the evening. While Babb is a trifle stiff at the outset, as the script loosens, so does she, culminating in an utterly charming rendition of "If I Were a Bell."

This Guys and Dolls is a surefire bet. The three hours fly along sending the audience into the night humming and wishing it could have lasted forever.