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Lafayette College’s Marquis Players will perform of one of the greatest American stage musicals, Guys and Dolls, the group’s 15th annual production to benefit local charities, at 8 p.m. March 31 and April 1, and at 2 p.m. April 2 at the Williams Center for the Arts.
Previous shows have raised more than $50,000 for hunger and homelessness causes. Last year’s production of Pippin raised $3,000, which was donated to August House, Habitat for Humanity, Safe Harbor Easton, Turning Point, the Third St. Alliance, and the American Red Cross for relief in Kosovo.
Tickets cost $4 for students and $5 for the public. All tickets are general admission. They may be purchased at the Williams Center box office from noon-2 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by calling the box office, (610) 330-5009.
The director is senior Jason Dale of Franklin Lakes, N.J., who also designed the set. Lighting design is by junior Chris Valenti (Glen Cove, N.Y.) and costume design by sophomores Sharon Steele (Manheim, Pa.) and Cristen Place (Laceyville, Pa.). The technical director is junior Kim Corbett (Clifton, N.J.). Junior Brad Dull (Willow Grove, Pa.) is stage manager and sophomore Brian Levine (Willow Grove, Pa.) is assistant stage manager. Junior Donielle Weinholtz (Hatboro, Pa.) is art designer.
The musical director is junior Dan Kauke (Ridgewood, N.J.). Sound choreography is by junior Bruce Adcock (Watervliet, N.Y.). First-year student Allison Ahart (Phillipsburg, N.J.) is the pianist. Dance choreography is by junior Charis Gehret (Wayne, Pa.) and sophomore Courtney De Thomas (Bronx, N.Y.).
Based on characters created by Damon Runyan, Guys and Dolls, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, opened on Broadway November 24, 1950. It is set in Runyan’s New York of the 1930s, a place populated by gangsters, gamblers, and other assorted “sinners.”
Big city gambling boss Nathan Detroit (played by sophomore Scott Wynne of Valhalla, N.Y., who is also vocal director) looks for a location where he can run his floating crap game while trying to keep it a secret from his 14-year fiancée, Ms. Adelaide (first-year student Suzanne Montgomery of Thornton, Pa.), a stripper and nightclub singer at the “Hot Box.” The plot includes Nathan’s bet with slick Sky Masterson (sophomore Grant Fromer of So. Glastonbury, Conn.) that he can’t get earnest “goody-goody” Sarah Brown (junior Susan Donnelly of Philadelphia, Pa.) of the Save-A-Soul Mission to accompany him to Havana.
Playing Nathan Detroit has always been a goal for Wynne. “He is truly a complex character,” he says. “Throughout the show, he expresses a wide range of emotions, from anger, frustration and fear, to love and compassion. His natural wit and sarcasm truly add a comedic element to the show. The real challenge for me has been to try and master all of these emotions as Nathan Detroit and express them as he would.
“The experience as vocal director has been both rewarding and challenging,” Wynne continues. “Working with such a talented cast has made teaching and rehearsing all of the musical numbers a pleasure. I think the real challenge of this job has been to harness and blend all of the vocal talent into a cohesive and harmonic sound. From the leads to the chorus members, everyone has given 100 percent to this show and it will be evident when the curtain opens.”
Donnelly says the talent pool for women’s roles was very deep, making for tough competition. “That was probably one of the most grueling auditions I’ve ever done,” she says. “Once I got the part, I found that my next challenge was to make Sarah Brown an interesting character. It would be very easy to play her as a typical, boring ‘mission doll.’ But I think that there’s a lot more to her than what is seen on the surface. She has many internal issues, which then get projected into her relationship with Sky. There’s a certain wild desire within her that makes her tick. I have found it extremely difficult to actually portray these emotions at the proper times, but I am very optimistic that the show as a whole will be a success.”
Adelaide who wants to settle down and get married to Nathan, but he is much more interested in running his crap game. “The most challenging part of playing Adelaide is portraying her different moods and feelings, which change frequently throughout the play,” Montgomery says. ” At least three or four times she changes her mind in mid-sentence. One second she hates Nathan, and the next second she loves him. Another challenge of p laying Adelaide is that it can be difficult to portray a character who is sick. She constantly has a cold, so I have to do a lot of sneezing and blowing my nose.”
The president of the Marquis Players is junior Gaurav Gangoli (Budd Lake, N.J.). Junior Amy Stewart (Trenton, N.J.) is vice president, Corbett is treasurer, Wynne is secretary, and sophomore Angie Kulbick (Cinnaminson, N.J.) is business manager.