Guys & Dolls (2009)
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Plot Synopsis:
Desperate to find money to pay for his floating crap game, Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson a thousand dollars that Sky will not be able to take a local Salvation Army girl, Sarah Brown, to Cuba. While Sky eventually is able to convince Sarah to join him, Nathan battles with his fiancé of fourteen years, Adelaide. Meanwhile in Cuba, Sky ends up falling in love with Sarah and tries to reform his gambling ways. When he returns back to New York, he bets all the members of the floating crap game that if he wins his roll of the dice, they will all have to go to church and repent. If he loses, he will give them each a thousand dollars.
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Nominated for One 2009 Freddy Award!
Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actor Ethan Robles as Nathan Detroit
Show Info and Crew Members:
Show Dates: March 13, 14, 15, 2009 Director: Julie Mixtacki Orchestra Director: Joe Reiter Vocal Director: Rachel Reiter Choreographer: Beth Peters Petrow Technical Director: Justin Maurer Artistic Director: Steve Shuey Lighting Designer: Ed Hoegg Hair & Makeup Designer: Shannon Czarnecki
Cast:
Brock Minnich ... Nicely-Nicely Johnson Phil Rider ... Benny Southstreet Kirsten Murray ... Rusty Jessica Szuchyt ... Sarah Brown Maggie Surdovel ... Margaret Arvide Jill Zeiser ... Agatha Adam Sigley ... Harry the Horse Erica Rauch ... Lt. Brannigan Ethan Robles ... Nathan Detroit Josh Schippers ... Angie the Ox Stephanie Pryor ... Miss Adelaide Robert Gyory ... Sky Masterson Sydney Martin ... Mimi Jessica Brown ... General Cartwright Brandon Horvath ... Big Jule Ashleigh Arnold ... Dance Captain
Director's Notes:
By the end of last year's final musical performance during the Sunday matinee, people had started to ask me what show we were going to do next. Although I probably should have said that I was too tired to think about it and should have told the kids that they should be more focused on the present show – I had already started to think about that very topic. "Guys and Dolls" was certainly not an obvious choice or one that came to mind quickly. In the end, it was my love of the music and characters that overrode any doubts I had. Without even stopping to consider how many kids would audition, who I had to fit parts, or whether or not I had enough "guys" – I announced "Guys and Dolls" as this year's musical... only to find out that Broadway was reviving it within days of our production, as were some other local theatres. Rather than feel discouraged, I realized that this show has magic no matter how many times its revived or how many productions are out there at the same time. Its not that everyone puts a different spin on it – its that there is no spin to be put on this show. It is what it is and its magnificent every time. Much like the city in which its set – beautiful New York City – its characters and songs have stood the test of time. It is not lost on me that in a time when so many of the new musicals are commercialized and over-the-top, we still want to see Adelaide chase after Nathan. We still want to see if Luck is going to be a lady. We still want them to stop rockin' that boat! I want to thank the smallest cast I have ever worked with on this size show for having the biggest hearts and the most dedication I have ever had from students. This has been one of my favorite directing experiences because of the students I got to work with every night. They will never know how happy it made me feel to come into the theatre to hear them rehearsing on their own or to hear them singing these songs to themselves as they run around rehearsal. I am so happy to have brought this classic into their repertories and hearts, just as my grandmother brought it into mine when she took me to see my first musical ever – "Guys and Dolls."
