Asolo Repertory Theatre pays tribute to one of America’s greatest songwriters for the stage with the upcoming world premiere of Luck Be a Lady: The Iconic Music of Frank Loesser, written and directed by Drama Desk Award-winner  and Asolo veteran Gordon Green and set to open on the Asolo stage May 1.

As the composer and lyricist of some of theater’s greatest productions, including Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, as well as cinema classics such as “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” Loesser’s work holds a special place in both the history of American theater and the country itself, according to Green, who was inspired to write Luck Be a Lady last year by a revival of Guys and Dolls. A longtime fan himself, there was something in particular that caught Green’s ear in Loesser’s music. “He had the unique ability to inject character and story into songs,” said Green, who describes Loesser’s lyrics as “rich, not just in poetry, but specifics.”

By weaving 28 songs from Loesser’s Tony-, Pulitzer- and Oscar-winning catalogue into one tale of love, loss and life within the nostalgic confines of an abandoned 1950s nightclub, Luck Be a Lady follows three women and three men, all at loose ends and seeking solace in the music of their unburdened youth. “There’s a great mystery to them, and optimism,” said Green of the nightclub setting, that helps bring characters and viewers back to “When anything was possible, before we knew everything we know now.”

In addition to the show’s pedigreed cast, including Tony nominee Louise Pitra, who originated the role of Donna Sheridan in Broadway’s Mamma Mia!, Erik Altimus, the original ‘Lewis’ in the Broadway revival of Pippin, and Mary Michael Patterson, the youngest Christine in Broadway’s history producing The Phantom of the Opera, Luck Be a Lady brings a six-piece band to the stage, providing swing and ballroom-style accompaniment, intermittently joined by members of the cast picking up an instrument mid-number.

“The music is all over the place in a wonderful way,” said choreographer Denis Jones. “As a choreographer, the opportunity to create diverse and various styles has been a blessing.”

Luck Be a Lady: The Iconic Music of Frank Loesser opens May 1 at the Asolo Repertory Theatre.