Somerville High students rehearse a scene from Guys and Dolls. (Standing, left to right): Thomas Kennedy, Nicholas Sahlas, Brian Andreck, Jack Stambaugh, Dor Kaminka, Ruthie Grossman. (Crouched, in front, left to right): Michael Kemp, Michael Buckley, Loic Fitanides.

Somerville High presents ‘Guys and Dolls’

By Elizabeth Sheeran

“Luck, be a lady tonight.” “I’ve got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere.” “A person … can develop a cold.”
Memorable lyrics have helped keep Guys and Dolls high up on the list of classic American musicals for over six decades. And Somerville High School students are about to bring it to life once again, for three performances, from February 2 through 4.

“I love the music. The story is just timeless, I think. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s sentimental. I love it,” said Gwen Kolb, a senior who was one of the students who lobbied for the school to do the musical, after she saw a production of it last summer.
Guys and Dolls, which premiered on Broadway in 1950, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, has been revived countless times from Broadway to Beijing, and was immortalized in a 1955 movie starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.
Based on the short stories of writer Damon Runyon, and set in a stylized version of 1940s Times Square, the show at its core is a story of colorful characters: Sky Masterson, the big time gambler who just wants to preserve his winning streak; Nathan Detroit, the small-time gambler who just wants to keep his floating crap game one step ahead of the police; Adelaide, the showgirl who just wants Nathan to settle down and marry her; And Sarah Brown, the missionary who just wants to save all of their souls.
For the three dozen cast members in the Somerville High production, it is all about making these characters come to life.
“It’s fun being Sky Masterson. His persona. His mindset. He is the gambler that runs New York. He’s the big guy,” said senior Jack Stambaugh. “I think it’s a lot of fun to try to portray a totally different character than you are in real life, to really tell a story, and just be characters in a different world. I think that’s a really cool concept.”
Audry Hiaoui, a senior who plays Adelaide, agrees that becoming someone different onstage is part of what makes it both fun and worthwhile. “She’s kind of a drama queen. She’s over the top. I’m not really over the top… I don’t think,” said Hiaoui. ”That’s what acting and theater is all about, just adjusting to what you’re given and that’s how you grow within it.”
Sarajane Mullins, who is co-directing the show with Richard Romanoff, said the students found it challenging at first to adapt to the unfamiliar landscape of Guys and Dolls, with a script that can seem dated, particularly the very stylized dialogue. But underneath it all, they found a story that felt very familiar.
“It’s very classical and very timeless,” said Mullins. “We see this in the movies all the time: Boy meets girl. Boy’s friend makes a bet that he can’t get girl. He gets girl and they fall in love anyway and then everyone gets confused about what the bet is.”
And Mullins said that despite the dated setting, there is plenty in the story that the high school students can relate to, which only makes the show better. “It has a brightness of youth with this cast that I haven’t seen with other casts of older professional actors,” said Mullins. “It’s an entire story line of wanting to do something but no one lets you. It’s a ‘you against the world’ type of theme that I think most teens probably identify with very well.”
Kolb, who plays the head of the mission, said the story delivers an inspiring message for teens. “To not be afraid to be yourself and don’t give up on your dreams. Like how Adelaide gets so angry with Nathan all the time, but she never gives up on him and in the end it all works out. There’s hope.”
“I love the underlying themes,” said Breanna Xavier, a sophomore, who plays Sarah Brown. “I love the romance in it, it’s so captivating. I’m kind of a romantic fool. I love the end, because they do end up changing, that’s what’s so great.”
Senior Thomas Kennedy, who plays Nathan Detroit, said Guys and Dolls offers something for everyone. “There’s a whole bunch of elements to it that I think anyone can relate to,” said Kennedy. “It’s a very lively musical. Everything about it is lively. It’s a play that keeps moving. It’s funny. It’s entertaining. I think it’s the essence of entertainment. It hits you in so many different ways.”
Caitlin Lewis, a sophomore who gets a front row seat at every rehearsal as the production stage manager, said that all adds up to a show worth watching. “I think people should come see it because it’s interesting and it’s funny. It makes you sad and then happy. Of course our actors are great and they’re great singers. It’s good,” said Lewis.
Somerville High School will present Guys and Dolls in its Highland Avenue auditorium at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 2 and Friday, February 3, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 4. Tickets are $8 for general admission and $6 for students or seniors, and can be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by contacting producer Rosemary Sears at 617-625-6600, extension 6265. More information is at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/musical.