Sky Masterson, played by Kristian Whittaker, rolls the dice while the gangsters look on. See the whole gang in action this weekend, Nov. 6-8, at 7 p.m. in the Communitiy School production of “Guys and Dolls.”
Express photo by Roland Lane |
The Community School Players will present “Guys and Dolls” this weekend, Nov. 6-8, at 7 p.m. at the Community School Theatre in Sun Valley. Tickets are $8 for students and $15 for adults.
In choosing a musical, “Guys and Dolls” jumped out to the directors, Patsy Wygle and Keith Moore, because of its great male characters. They said they also toyed with “Damn Yankees,” because they ultimately wanted a show in which the boys could be a team.
“Guys and Dolls” opened on Broadway in 1950 and quickly became one of the greatest success stories in Broadway history. The show ran for 1,200 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography.
The musical is an adaptation of Damon Runyon’s short stories about the New York City underbelly. Frank Loesser’s music and lyrics drive the story with famous songs like “Luck be a Lady,” “If I Were a Bell” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
Brad Hershey is the musical director for the production. Hillary Neely is the choreographer and lighting designer. Wygle and Moore are thankful for their work and are especially looking forward to Neely’s “chair-ogrophy” for the musical number “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
There’s nothing girly about drama. Eleven of Community School’s male students are proving that with their gangster swag, New York accents and bling.
“When we did ‘School for Scandal,’ we got three sophomore boys that were just kind of testing the waters,” said the directors. “They had a blast and committed to this project, and we ended up with the most guys we’ve ever had for a show—double the highest number from before.”
Not only are the boys strong in numbers, but they are also strong in stage presence.
“This is one of the best groups of guys I’ve seen,” said pianist Dorinda Rendahl. “They’re appreciative, fun, energetic—I mean look at them! They’re amazing. They’re not intimidated, they’re just having a great time.”
Newcomer and junior Community School student Kristian Whittaker needed to fill a sports credit. Since the Players production covered it, he thought he’d give it a try.
“I’ve never really done acting before, and I’m having a great time,” he said. “The singing is a little strange, but the acting is awesome. It’s fun to hang out with a group of really great people after school and totally immerse yourself in a character.”
Whittaker plays Sky Masterson, gambler extraordinaire. The cast also features Cutter Grathwohl as the infamous Nathan Detroit, Tara Burchmore as the missionary Sarah Brown and Alex Harten as the chronically-ill nightclub performer Adelaide.
According to the directors, the students are “working their tails off.”
Grathwohl most recently played Captain Buzz Adams in St. Thomas Playhouse’s production of “South Pacific.” He is a senior and believes “Guys and Dolls” is about “the things we are willing do for love.” His character, Nathan Detroit, has been promising to marry his fiancé for 14 years.
“The sooner you put something off, the more time you’ll have to do it later,” Grathwohl said.
His favorite song from the show is about “The Oldest Established” crap game in New York.
“It’s about me—it’s not often I get an entire [song] dedicated to myself,” Grathwohl said.
The cast gets to play with various New York accents, and is having a blast.
“When we practice, we basically just can’t get out of them,” laughed Whittaker. “It’s actually a pretty manly play. Mobsters in the 40s are really cool and something we can latch onto.”
Burchmore is a senior. She has been
involved with theater in the Wood River Valley since 2006, when she played Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol,” and she’s been in every Players production since her freshman year.
“I think Guys and Dolls teaches some incredibly important lessons about looking beyond appearances and knowing people before you make assumptions,” she said. “It also completely advocates loving people despite their flaws.”
The directors are excited for opening night and prospect that audiences will leave humming the tunes and remembering the indelible characters. Additionally, Wygle hopes they will leave with a smile.
For the seniors of the cast, it’s a bittersweet moment.
“This is the last theater opportunity I will have at this school,” said Grathwohl. “Please come and support our great cast.”
For more information about the production, call 622-3955.
