‘Guys and Dolls, junior’ opens Thursday
Published 10:54 am Wednesday, September 27, 2023
About 20 local young people are coming together to perform “Guys and Dolls, junior” at West T. Hill Community Theater. Shows are Sept. 28-30, and Oct. 6-8.
For the first weekend, the show will not have a Sunday matinee, so they have added a Thursday evening performance. For the second weekend, there will be a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. All other shows will start at 7:30 p.m.
“Guys and Dolls, junior” is a musical comedy based on the award-winning Broadway classic “Guys and Dolls,” which is about rolling dice and falling in love under the lights of New York City Times Square.
In the show, gambler Nathan Detroit is looking for a site to run his next big craps game, and the New York Police are one step behind him. Needing money, Nathan bets his friend Sky Masterson that he can’t get a date with the prim and proper Sarah Brown, who runs Save a Soul Mission in New York City. Meanwhile, Nathan’s fiancée Adelaide wants him to finally marry her.
The Junior version of this show, by Music Theatre International, is the same story, but is cut down in scope. It also cuts a little content to make it suitable for younger performers.
The cast is made up of 20 young people ages 10 to 18. Several other young people are helping backstage and in the booth, and as choreographers.
Nathan Detroit is played by Nick Powell; Miss Adelaide is played by Lilla Walter; Sky Masterson is played by Nico Lucas; and Sarah Brown is played by Juliana Love.
The show is directed by West T. Hill Managing Director Karen Logue. She said the show has been on the theater’s short list for a long time. She said the show is fast-paced, fun-packed and should be entertaining for all ages.
“The music is fun and catchy, the costumes are bright and stylish, representing an era that is long past,” Logue said. “The sets are colorful and inventive and the story is Hallmark quality.”
The show features famous songs like “Luck Be a Lady,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” The music is being taught by Music Director Casey Tibbles.
Tickets are available at westthill.net.