Like many directors, Mike Mosallam has a pet peeve: people who arrive late for rehearsal.

So when a performer in his production of “Guys and Dolls,” staged by Burns Park Players, recently arrived after the rehearsal’s start time, the actor sprinted up the aisle of Tappan School’s auditorium while apologizing.

“He said, ‘I’m so, so sorry I’m late. I was in surgery,’” explained Mosallam. “I went, ‘Oh, my God, are you OK?’ And he said, ‘No, no — I wasn’t being operated on. I was the one performing the surgery.’ And I thought, wow. Now that’s a reality check.”

The diversity of local adults, as well as young students (103 of them this year) who are involved in the annual Burns Park Players musical is one of the group’s appeals for Mosallam. 170 people make up the “Guys” cast, ranging in age from 6 to 90.

“These are very accomplished Ann Arborites,” said Mosallam. “We’re talking about top-of-the-line surgeons and lawyers and professors, and they’re sitting there, taking direction from me, learning these dance steps, and you’d never know they’re the elite of the elite.”

Mosallam is returning to BPP after a 6-year hiatus, during which time he moved out of, and then returned to, Michigan. “Guys” will be the fifth show he’s directed for BPP, and because it’s a personal favorite, he could map out ways to include all of the students who wished to be part of the show with relative ease while proposing it to BPP’s board.

“If you take a look at it, the show lends itself really well to finding places for the kids,” said Mosallam. “It’s set in New York City, and there are different aspects of the city represented — different parts of the city — and there are lots of ensemble scenes.”

PREVIEW “Guys and Dolls” Who: Burns Park Players. What: Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ classic musical about two gamblers and the women who love them in 1940s New York. Where: Tappan Middle School Auditorium, 2251 East Stadium Boulevard. When: 7:30 Friday, February 5; Thursday, February 11; and Friday, February 12; 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 6 and 13. (The show’s final dress rehearsal, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, is also open to the public.) How much: Premium seating, including reserved parking, costs $30 per ticket; reserved seating tickets available for $15 each; and tickets for the dress rehearsal performance cost $5. Info: Tickets on sale now, with reserved tickets available at Morgan and York Market, 1928 Packard, or at the door 1 hour before each performance; premium seating may be purchased by calling Ken Kollman at 734-478-0449. Dress rehearsal tickets available only at the door, beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the BPP web site.

“Guys,” with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, premiered on Broadway in 1950. Telling the story of 2 gamblers — Nathan Detroit, who can’t seem to work up the courage to seal the deal with his showgirl fiancé, Adelaide; and Sky Masterson, who takes a bet to win the heart of a beautiful but stuffy Save-a-Soul missionary named Sarah Brown — “Guys” boasts a score packed with memorable hits like “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

Even so, Mosallam confessed there was initially some concern about involving young people in a show about gamblers.

“But it hasn’t been much of an issue, because the show’s so classic,” said Mosallam. “It’s the perfect musical of the golden age, and one of the most highly produced in high schools and community theaters across the country. … Because of the way that it’s presented, you don’t get a sense of anything being inappropriate.”

Indeed, rather than being gritty and darkly realistic, the musical generally has a Technicolor, sanitized look and sensibility. And for BPP, Mosallam has taken this a step further, making the club where Adelaide performs, the Hot Box, a family-friendly club by day that caters to adults by night.

“It’s all about being creative with the kids,” said Mosallam. “To make them feel included while still keeping the integrity of the show.”

Proceeds from “Guys” will once again benefit the performing arts in the Ann Arbor Public Schools; BPP, since its 1984 inception, has contributed over $230,000 to AAPS students throughout the district.

As for Mosallam, the director cast the show in October, scheduling music rehearsals before the holidays so everyone could hit the ground running in January. With such an enormous cast and crew, “Guys” has required a great deal of organization.

“Actually, for me things have been easier this time around, because these people are some of my closest friends now,” said Mosallam. “We have this high level of trust. In years past, … they had a new director every year, so there wasn’t consistency, and no one could really develop a rapport with the group. But because I already had a relationship with the music director and the choreographer, we gelled well, and everything’s progressed very smoothly.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.