The Royal Theatre is “Feeling Lucky” this summer, and we are rolling all of the dice in anticipation for our August show. Sponsored by Meridiem Psychological Services Inc., this production guarantees to be a spectacle like one you have never seen before. Featuring famous songs like “Luck Be A Lady” and “Bushel and a Peck”, audiences entering will be drawn into the bright lights of New York nightlife, hard hitting vocals, a love story, and may even be tempted into playing a game or two of craps. You never know what you’ll find when you enter The Hot Box, I mean, The Royal Theatre.

DATES AND TIMES

Performances are Thursday thru Sunday August 13th - 16th and 20th - 23rd, 2026.

All Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances (August 13th, 14th, 16th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd) will begin at 7:00pm. Sunday matinees (August 16th and 23rd) will begin at 2:00pm. Box office and lobby will open one hour before show time, and the house will open approximately 15 - 20 minutes prior to curtain.

Run time is approximately 2 hours 30 minutes, including intermission.  This show is designated as assigned seating. Please check your seating assignment before completing your purchase. We are able to exchange, transfer or move tickets to another date or person. All sales are final, and refunds cannot be issued. 

The Royal Theatre is located at 111 S. Market Street in Historic Downtown Benton. Online ticket prices are: $20 general admission; $15 for seniors age 60+, college students, and members of the military; $10 for 12th grade and younger plus additional fees. For online ticket sales, go to https://onthestage.tickets/the-royal-theatre. 

Box office ticket prices are: $22 general admission; $17 for seniors age 60+, college students, and members of the military; $12 for 12th grade and younger, which includes all fees. For more information email [email protected].

For accessible or special needs seating, email [email protected] or call 501-315-5483 (voicemail only).

**This show may contain simulated gun shots, strobe lights and haze.

We highly recommend that tickets be purchased in advance, as we cannot guarantee availability at the door.

SYNOPSIS

Guys and Dolls tells the story of Nathan Detroit who is trying to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they've been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City. 

Special thanks to the Benton A&P Commission for their support. 

The Royal Theatre at 111 S. Market St. in Benton, Arkansas was built in 1948-1949 as an extensive renovation of a prior theatre and that was already deemed historic. The oldest part of the theatre was part of the 1920 "Imp" (for "Independent Motion Pictures") theatre. The sign and marquee of the theatre, and the rest of the 1948-1949 redesign, were designed by Little Rock architects Frank Ginocchio and Edwin B. Cromwell in Moderne style. Ginocchio and Cromwell had designed a Royal Theatre in Little Rock that used the sign and marquee; they reused the material in the Benton theatre later.

In 1996, the Royal Theatre was bought and renovated by actor Jerry Van Dyke. Most of the block that the theatre is located on was also renovated at that time. Jerry Van Dyke added Jerry Van Dyke's Soda Shoppe, a candy store, a baseball card trading store, as well as a small antique store. Jerry Van Dyke sold the Royal Theatre and the rest of the property in 2000 and 2001. The Royal Theatre was donated to the “Central Arkansas Community Players", who then changed the name to the "Royal Players" and continues to perform in it to this day.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.