Anyone looking for an upbeat musical with plenty of showbiz razzle-dazzle will find the Burns Park Players’ production of “Guys and Dolls” pretty much a sure thing.

Cast members from the Burns Park Players production of "Guys and Dolls."

The 1950s-era show about 2 gamblers, the women who love them and “the oldest established permanent floating craps game in New York,” boasts a deck stacked with familiar, they-don’t-write-’em-like-that-any-more tunes, such as “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” Happily, the show’s extra-large cast navigated all with aplomb.

Of course, anyone familiar with the Players’ annual musical knows that tuneful, eye-popping productions are pretty much par for the course. I'm always amazed at the talent pool in the Burns Park neighborhood, and find it easy to forget the performers are not professionals, but rather Ann Arborites and volunteers one and all.

Also, as usual, proceeds from “Guys” benefit the performing arts in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

This year’s cast numbered 170 people (103 of them students) ranging in age from 6 to 90. I don’t know who the 6-year-old was, but 90-year-old Fredda Clisham proved a real scene-stealer every time she made an appearance on stage. And the kids were adorable, often weaved seamlessly into musical numbers as members of the chorus. It always a pleasant surprise, given the number of people involved in Burns Park shows, that the pacing is so tight. A tip of the fedora to director Mike Mosallam and his crew for making this show sing.

All the main characters were great, but there were a couple of standouts. Eva Rosenwald, who memorably played the title role in last year’s “Annie Get Your Gun,” was equally superb as nightclub singer Miss Adelaide, engaged for 14 years to incorrigible gambler Nathan Detroit (Joel Swanson) and wondering if she will ever get to the altar. She wears her heart on her sleeve and her voice is capable of going from musical theater brassiness to quiet vulnerability in the blink of an eye. Her “Sue Me” (with Swanson) was a crowd favorite, and one of mine, too.

Sparks flew convincingly between Lisa Harris as mission doll Miss Sarah Brown and Jeff Robinson’s smooth gambler Sky Masterson, and Harris’ voice was note-perfect: What vocal powerhouses she and Rosenwald are. It was also clear that Ben Cohen relished his role as snap-brim lawman Lt. Brannigan.

Among Detroit’s cohorts, Clinch Steward was terrific as Benny Southstreet, armed with a perfect wise-guy attitude and impressive repertoire of facial tics and mannerisms. I loved his purple pin-striped suit; in fact, all of the costumes were colorful and evocative of the period. Way to go, costume designer Debbie Bourque.

While on the topic of the production crew, props must be given to designers Jeri Rosenberg and Mark Tucker. The New York street scene that opened the show was just the start of a series of detailed sets, such as the Hot Box nightclub, a bar in Cuba and an underground sewer, its maze of plumbing and haze of steam serving as a backdrop for an illicit game of craps. Some other nice touches: the countrified “dancing” backdrop in an early Hot Box scene, the well-choreographed brawl in the Havana bar segment (credit due to choreographer Susannah Stempke) and the telephone scene between Detroit and Joey Biltmore (Eric Middleton).

All the cast seemed comfortable with the play’s deliberately stilted dialogue, and I knew right from the overture that the orchestra, led by Eric Lofstrom, was going to sound great.

So yeah, “Guys and Dolls” was a terrific way to spend a snowy Friday night. I don’t know if there are tickets left for the rest of the run, but if there are you can get in on the action for yourself. The show runs again at 4 p.m. today, and next Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well. It’s no gamble — trust me on this.

Roger LeLievre is a freelance writer for covers entertainment for AnnArbor.com.