"Guys and Dolls," the Frank Loesser musical based on Broadway characters created by Damon Runyon, is 55 years old this year and the revival now at Army Community Theatre shows its age.

The first act seems especially tired. Glenn Cannon's direction has the cast standing in unending rows, Jim Hutchison's choreography is minimal to nonexistent, and Bill Edwards' sound seems to have the principals singing into their armpits.

Blame it on body mikes or blame it on lowblood sugar, but Tina Shelton as Sara Brown sounds shrill and thin, and Lenny Klompus as Sky Masterson goes flat. The result effectively dampens any character chemistry between the gambler and the Salvation Army sergeant and shifts plot emphasis over to Shari Lynn as Miss Adelaide and Hutchison as Nathan Detroit.

Lynn and Hutchison make a cute couple — geriatric, but cute. She's the headliner at the Hot Box Club with a psychosomatic post-nasal drip. He's the organizer of the oldest floating craps game in New York and an expert at sustaining a relationship while postponing marriage.

But they truly love each other despite 24 years of avoiding matrimony. Lynn makes "Adelaide's Lament" a wonderful character song and gives loads of charm to Hot Box numbers "A Bushel and A Peck" and "Take Back My Mink." She also takes a new and safety-conscious approach to descending a staircase in high heels. Their duet "Sue Me," cements their authority as the most lovesick couple since Romeo shinnied up Juliet's balcony.

There are some good numbers among the supporting cast.

Julius Mina, Ethan Okura, and Darren Kimura open with a strong "Fugue For Tinhorns" and follow that up with the title song. Gerald Altwies does justice to the sweet and plaintive "More I Cannot Wish You."

The show's second act comes back more strongly than the first, probably because the focus is off Sara and Sky. Mina leads a strong chorus on "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."

Lina Jeong Doo is musical director while Tom Giza's rear projections of New York skyline and sewer pipes have mixed success in providing low-cost scenery.

There are some good moments in this version of "Guys and Dolls," but you'll need to ferret them out of a production that plays like a museum piece.