Submitted by Denis Kelley
Annual spring musical, ‘Guys and Dolls,’ was a living-learning experience for a cast and crew of hundreds. Staging the annual spring musical at Watchung Hills Regional High Schools (WHRHS), which this year, 2018, was the iconic Broadway and Hollywood musical, “Guys and Dolls,” was a living-learning experience for hundreds of students, teachers, parents, community volunteers, and supporters.
And, as if simply staging a high quality high school musical isn’t enough of a challenge every year, this year had the added challenge of performance dates during March 2018, when there were multiple snow events during a roller coaster three weeks leading up to the scheduled musical performances. Lost school days due to inclement weather and icy and snowy driving conditions cut into the crucial last-minute days of mastering the acting, singing and dancing rehearsal and set production required for a massive 24-scene Broadway classic.
Plus, one of those snow events was during the very week of the scheduled and always-important dress rehearsal and the three days of evening performances and a Saturday matinee. Fortunately, only one performance had to be cancelled. Instead, that time was used for the dress rehearsal. The wait was well worth it, it turns out, as the school’s Script and Cue student drama program thrilled audiences with memorable and stellar performances.
Mastering this living-learning experience was the collaboration, like the creation of a finely-tuned interdisciplinary independent study thesis project, of not just the actors, singers, and dancers on stage, but also the musicians on the Orchestra Pit. Plus, behind the scenes, there was another whole set of “crew” specialists, including set designers and artists for costume and make-up. Additional stage crew members hone the crafts of stage managing, prop coordination, lighting and sound technology, directing, and applied graphic arts support for media items such as programs, posters, and ancillary media press materials.
There are also related applied lessons for students to learn about the business of staging a musical, including budgeting, supplying and organizing refreshments, even coordinating an army of ushers to handle the orderly seating of hundreds of audience members.
Cast Members
The Cast included: Jacob Lesser at Sky Masterson and Christine Tanko as Sarah Brown; Scott Romankow as Nathan Detroit and Kyra Anthony as Adelaide; also, as the Guys, Jack Melillo as Nice-Nicely, Sam Sinnott as Benny Southwest, Ben Allgor as Rusty Charlie, Matt Oboh as Harry the Horse, Matt MacKrell as Angie the Ox, Andrew Moberly as Joey Biltmore, Will Johnson as Big Jule, Lucas Mammone as Lt. Brannigan, and Justin Horowitz as Master of Ceremonies.
The Mission soldiers included: Will Broder as Arvide Abernathy, Angie Carrano as Agatha, Summer Stuart as Calvina, Ariya Blow as Martha; and, as Mission soldiers, Brigita Przybylski, Maddie Johnson, Maddie Leong, Sophia Su, Angela Munoz, Natasha Bird and Kaelin Churchill.
The Crap Shooters/Dancers included: Matt Oboh, Ben Allgor, Kevin Lynch, Matt Mazzarisi, Spencer Acciarito, Chris Gagliano, Heather Sherry, Emma Giordano, and Jenny Miller.
The Hot Box Girls/Ensemble Dancers include: Emma Marszalek, Avery Noerr, Nicole Vila, Claire Vickery, Sophia Blanchard, Nicole Bell, Dana Wasserman, Francesca Infante-Meehan, Kayla Martins Anchal Dhir, Emma Leary and Giovanna DiSanto.
The Dance Captains were Sam Sinnott and Francesca Infante-Meehan.
The Havana Waiters were: Jenny Miller and Matt Mazzarisi. Playing parts in the opening “Runyonland Prologue” were: Actress, Giovanna DeSanto; Rich Woman, Emma Marszalek; Tour Guide, Matt McKrell; Sight Seer, Avery Noerr; Photographer, Kevin Lynch; Old Woman, Dana Wasserman; Street Walkers, Francesca Infante-Meehan, Kayla Martins, and Anchal Dhir; Texan, Chris Gagliano; Texan’s Wife, Heather Sherry; Bobby Soxers, Emma Giordano and Emma Leary; Surly Person, Matt Mazzarisi; Policeman, Spencer Acciarito; Blind Man, Justin Horowitz, and Baby Carriage Hawker, Jenny Miller.
Orchestra
The Orchestra included: Violins, Emma Golkin, Victor Hu, Harrison Lavelle, Jenny Li, Shruthi Ramasamy, Carter Rosen, Alvanna Tam, Neha Venkatesh, Jocelyn Wang, Tyler Wu, Jack White and Nandini Yellamelli; Viola, Valerie Wang; Cellos, Madeline Dietrich, Daria Monti, Spencer Shao, and William Wu; and Bass, Anjali Blow and Roosevelt Porter;
Percussion, Ronald Dolce and Natalia Sosniak; Keyboard, Zoe Golkin;
Reeds: Elizabeth Baker, Jeremy Cui, Glen Diamond, Timothe Iroudayassamy, Sanjay Subramanian, and Cherlin Zhu; Horn, Ben Walkins; Trumpets, Ryan Branco, Matthew Shaefer, and Carl Peterson; and Trombone, Jack Horan.
Production Staff
This production of Guys and Dolls was directed by WHRHS Drama Teacher Douglas Eaton. He was also the set designer. Music Direction was provided by WHRHS Choral Music Teacher Angela DiIorio Bird. The Orchestral Director was WHRHS Instrumental Music Teacher Paul McCullen.
The Chief Assistant Director was Emily Snead, Assistant Director, Kathleen O’Mullan; Production Stage Manager, Mark Caamano. Scenic Artist was Kate Griffin; Costume Design, Gail DeCicco; Lighting Design, Chris Valenti; Sound Design, Rick Clark; Lead Assistant Sound Mixer, Alexander Martin; Assistant Sound Mixer, Brianna Caetano.
Chief Carpenter was Nick DiNizio; Costumes, Alison Wolf; Costumes Crew, Arden Dettling, Erica Munoz, Sara Barrientos, Genevieve Rust, Maddy Goffredo; Prop Master, Jessica Pearlstein; and Prop Crew, Becca Dickerson, Rachel Krouk, Hannah Marszalek, and Michelle Chavanne.
Sound Mics, Michael Maloney and Krystyna Leski; Lighting Board Operator, Portia Rowley; Spot Lighting, Adam Noble and Michael Wong; Scenic Painters, Fiona Mulvey, Amelia Randolph, Marianna Renda, Ariana Gilligan, Kaitlin Chin and Stephanie Ormaeche; Hair and Makeup, Hollace Chase, Brianna Casas, Juliet Leary, Shelby Waddy, Hannah Stevens, Erin Pinto, Ivey Ledward, Arianne Rahimi, Julia Celeste, Madelena Goffredo, Ariana Gilligan, Josephine Pascale, Malvika George, Sophie Frank, and Kat Peterson.
Rigging, Pat Dempsey, Colin Beisler and Gabriel Snead; Running Crew, Max Dubliner, Gabby Raminez, Nina DiNorscio, Emily Dec, Gillian Loesberg, Michael Sullivan, Skylar Paltjon, Massai Shuler, Sophia Patti, Amelia Randolph, Katie Strong, Melissa Miketen, Kip Degeorges and Roshni Dave.
Tech on Deck, Tyler Horvath; Ushers, Navya Menon, Chelsea Kramer and Jennifer Buser; Head of House, Elizabeth Chapleski; Script & Cue Business manager, Dianne Krutz.
Program headshots and group shots, William Johnson; Play Program, Laura Zijdel.
Music and Lyrics for Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser; Book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. Based on the short story, The Idyll of Sarah Brown, and other characters developed by journalist and author Damon Runyon. The production is made through special arrangement through Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. For more information, visit MTIShows.com.
(above, l-r) Scott Romankow as Nathan Detroit and Kyra Anthony as Adelaide.
(above) WHRS “Guys and Dolls” cast.
(above) Jack Melillo as Nice-Nicely.
(above) Pit performance. The Orchestra for “Guys and Dolls” perform under the direction of WHRHS Instrumental Music Teacher and Orchestral Director Paul McCullen, standing right.
(above) Jack Melillo as Nice-Nicely.
(above, l-r) Backtage: Scott Romanhow, who portrayed “Nathan Detroit;” Kyra Anthony, who portrayed “Adelaide,” Christine Tanko, who portrayed “Sarah Brown;” and Jacob Lesser, who portrayed “Sky Masterson.
