Spring Musical

Information Page
BACK TO MUNSTER THEATRE COMPANY BULLETIN PAGE
 

(In the order of appearance)                                                                       (understudies)  TBA= yet to be cast from chorus

Nicely-Nicely Johnson ……..… Mark Knight

Benny Southstreet …………… Clarke Remmers

Rusty Charlie ……..…………. Doug Johnson

Sarah Brown ……..............….  Stephanie Sepiol    (Lyndsey Hernandez)

Arvide Abernathy …………… David Blumberg

Harry the Horse .…………….. Spencer Newell

Lt. Brannigan ………………..  Brandon Anderson

Nathan Detroit ……………….  Kenn O’Drobinak

Miss Adelaide ……………….  Madolyn Hedin   (Alex Kattan)

Sky Masterson ………………  Hunter Muckel

General Matilda B. Cartwright..Kathryn Wadas

Big Jule…………….………… Tanner Ollo

 Mission Band:

                Elyse Estes  Adam Goodwin   Lyndsey Hernandez        Mary Webber

            Agatha ……….            Calvin ……….            Martha ………            Priscilla ……..

 Angie the Ox …………….. Teddy Niemac

Joey Biltmore ……………  Jonathan Wachala

Mimi, a Hot Box girl ……… TBA

Master of Ceremonies ………Justin Newman

Cuban Headwaiter ………… TBA

Hot Box Waiter ……………  TBA

NYC Cops ………………..…TBA

                   Dancers

                                Hot Box Girls
"Alex" Kouklakis    Andjela Radmilvovik    Nicole Raynor

Stephanie Ruiz        Katie Taylor                Olivia Yates

                            Cuban Dancers
Lead Dance Couple:  Daniel Linnear  & "Alex" Kouklakis

(we are using everyone who auditioned for the "Cuban" and other dances)
    Katie Anderson
    Tony Campana
    Haley Conger
    Clarissa Gosciej
    Alex Kattan
    Andjela Radmilvovik
    Nicole Raynor
    Stephanie Ruiz
    Samantha Strimmel
    Jonathan Wachala
    Chris Yothment

Chorus

(including principal & supporting cast assorted gangsters, gamblers,
Salvation Army evangelists, Cuban partiers/dancers, & various NYC street people)

These roles To Be Cast after rehearsal begin

 You must indicate your acceptance by Friday, February 15

 Student Directors –  TBA     Assistant Student Director – TBA
Choreographer – Jelana Grozdanich            Production Assistants –  Elizabeth Wadas & Michael Goldenberg

 Thank-You to everyone who auditioned for Guys & Dolls.  We saw some wonderful talent that we unfortunately could not use on this production. We encourage you to become involved in other aspects of the production.  Please indicate your acceptance or not of your role no later than Friday Feb 15, by initialing the cast list posted backstage bulletin board by the Romeo/Juliet Dressing Rooms.

Dr LAB, CLB, Doc B

SHOW DATES: May 1-4, 2008  7pm (2pm on May 4)

Chorus Rehearsal every Monday at 6pm in Choral Room
starting Feb 25

Dance Auditions TBA in Auditorium

Short Synopsis

Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy - considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy – soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters who have become legends in the canon: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight "mission doll," out to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancι, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.

Everything works out in the end, thanks to the machinations of Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling's hilarious, fast-paced book and Frank Loesser's bright, brassy, immortal score, which takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City. Funny and romantic, Guys And Dolls is ideal for audiences and performers of any age.

Characters

Songs
click on the song link below to hear a sample

Discography / Videography:

Both of the following are in the correct key based on the score we will be using.
The 1992 has all the music from the show where the 1951 version only has the major songs.

The Movie soundtrack version is written in different keys and have new songs not in the stage version of the show.

If you buy a CD use either the 1951 or 1992 Broadway versions and not the Movie version

Original Broadway Cast 1951 Version - Robert Alda and Vivain Blaine

New Broadway Cast 1992 Version - Starring Nathan Lane, Faith Prince and Peter Gallagher

Motion Picture Soundtrack 1955 - Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Marlon Brando

DVD- motion picture version 1955
While the movie version is fairly close to the script it does depart in several places from the story.

 Long Synopsis

Act One

Scene One: After the overture, the curtain rises on a bustling street scene alive with Times Square characters: sightseeing tourists and their guide; teenaged girls in bobby socks carrying autograph books; street vendors selling apples and flowers from a tray; a heavyweight prize-fighter with his manager; assorted street hustlers and pickpockets; and policemen ("Runyonland"). Three gamblers, Benny Southstreet, Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Rusty Charlie, enter, reading aloud the daily horse-race scratch sheet. They trade tips about different horses ("Fugue for Tinhorns").

As the gamblers finish their pitch, Sergeant Sarah Brown and the Mission Band enter playing a hymn ("Follow the Fold"). Sarah delivers a street-corner sermon on the evils of gambling, inviting all sinners to visit the Save-A-Soul Mission and repent before it's too late. Nicely-Nicely and Benny observe that Sarah is wasting her good looks on Mission work. They are joined by Harry the Horse, another gambler. He asks if a location has been found for the floating crap game run by Nathan Detroit. Nathan has had trouble finding locations for his crap game because of increased pressure from the police, particularly Lieutenant Brannigan. Brannigan appears, also looking for Nathan, who soon enters. After Brannigan leaves, Nathan mentions he needs $1,000 to secure Joey Biltmore's garage for the game. Nathan is so broke he doesn't even have money to buy an engagement anniversary present for Miss Adelaide, his fiancιe of 14 years. Adelaide, a performer at the Hot Box Club, doesn't approve of Nathan's gambling activities. Nathan, Benny and Nicely sing about their frustration at possibly losing a chance to make lots of money from the game ("The Oldest Established").

Angie the Ox, another gambler, mentions Sky Masterson is in town and could surely supply the money needed for the garage. Nathan knows Sky will bet on almost anything and he comes up with a way to trick Sky out of the needed funds. He sends Benny to Mindy's restaurant to find out how much strudel and cheesecake were sold the previous day. Adelaide (who seems to have a perpetual cold) enters with three other women from the club and gives Nathan his anniversary present just as Benny returns with the numbers on the strudel and cheesecake. Sky enters, and Nathan tells Benny and Nicely to take Adelaide to a drugstore for cold medicine. Nathan proposes a $1,000 bet to Sky about which sells more at Mindy's: strudel or cheesecake. Sky, suspecting the bet is not on the level, won't take Nathan up on it. Nicely and Benny return and tell him Adelaide expects Nathan to pick her up after the show. Sky, a confirmed bachelor, suggests Adelaide has trapped Nathan. When Nathan asks why Sky is traveling to Havana alone, Sky says he could get any woman he chooses to go with him. Nathan bets Sky $1,000 that Nathan can pick a woman that Sky can't convince to go. Sky accepts. Nathan points to Sarah Brown as the Mission Band passes by.

Scene Two: The Mission Band enters the Save-A-Soul Mission after a night of preaching on Broadway. Sky enters and presents himself as a gambler eager for redemption. When Sarah offers him pamphlets, he suggests she give him personal help over dinner. She declines the offer. Sky impresses Sarah with his knowledge of the Bible, gleaned from years of living in hotels with the Gideon Bible close at hand. Noting the absence of sinners in the Mission, Sky proposes a trade: he will give Sarah his marker, an IOU guaranteeing to fill the Mission with twelve sinners, if Sarah agrees to have dinner with him in his favorite restaurant, which happens to be in Havana. She indignantly throws the marker in the trash and asks him to leave. Sky accuses Sarah of hating men, a charge she denies. Sky asks her to describe the man of her dreams. She tells him she'll know when the right man comes around ("I'll Know"). Sky tells her he, too, will know when the right woman comes along. Their song ends in a kiss. The mood is broken immediately as Sarah slaps Sky.

Scene Three: Nathan phones Joey Biltmore to tell him the $1,000 for the garage is all but guaranteed. Joey reminds him the money is due in advance.

Scene Four: At the Hot Box, Adelaide and the chorus girls perform a musical number ("A Bushel and a Peck"). After the show, she tells Nathan she is getting a raise and suggests they finally get married. She shows him the wedding veil she has had for the past three years. She also explains she has told her mother that Nathan and she are married and have five children. As Nathan offers reasons why they shouldn't get married, one of the other dancers arrives and complains to Nathan her date has been cancelled because of his crap game. Adelaide gets one of her chronic sneezing attacks as Nathan rushes off. She picks up a medical book which explains her cold symptoms are psychosomatic and caused by her frustration at being engaged (not married!) for 14 years ("Adelaide's Lament").

Scene Five: Benny and Nicely have been watching Sky follow Sarah and the Mission Band. They hope Sky fails in his attempts to take her to Havana so Nathan will get the cash to hold the crap game. They observe that men the world over have a weakness for falling in love ("Guys and Dolls").

Scene Six: Sarah and the Band return to the Mission. Arvide Abernathy, Sarah's grandfather and the bass drum player of the band, encourages her to pay some attention to Sky. General Cartwright, the head of the Save-A-Soul Mission, arrives and explains that the Broadway Mission's poor performance in attracting sinners is forcing her to close the branch. Sky appears and protests the closing of the Mission. He also retrieves his marker from the trash and gives it back to Sarah. She then guarantees the General there will be twelve sinners in the Mission the following evening.

Scene Seven: All the craps shooters, including Big Jule (a very tough gun-toting gangster from Chicago) are wearing red carnations as they're the badge of entry for the game, which still has no location. Brannigan appears and, noticing all the red carnations, asks Nathan what is going on. Benny sees Adelaide coming over with some of the other Hot Box dancers and tells Brannigan the carnations are for the guests of Nathan's bachelor party. Adelaide hears this and excitedly announces they should get married the following night after her show. As Adelaide rushes off with her girlfriends, Nathan tells Benny he still has not received the money from Sky. Benny wonders if Sky actually took Sarah to Havana.

Scene Eight: Sarah and Sky are in Havana. Faced with constantly blaring mambo music and dancing couples ("Havana"), Sky and Sarah escape the noisy nightclub and end up at the fashionable Hotel Nacionale where Sarah orders a ham sandwich. After a bit of sightseeing they end up in a street cafι. Sarah orders a milk shake, which Sky translates to the waiter as "Dulce de Leche," a potent alcoholic drink. After several drinks, Sarah jealously interrupts when a dancer flirts with Sky, precipitating a huge barroom brawl.

Scene Nine: Sky has carried Sarah away from the brawl. As he sets her down, she kisses him. He asks her how she feels. She tells him she feels wonderful ("If I Were a Bell") and falls into his arms. Realizing he is falling in love with her, a guilty Sky tells her about the bet he made. "How else would a girl get to meet a gambler?" she responds. She reluctantly allows him to take her back to New York.

Scene Ten: Outside the Mission at 4:00 AM, Sky and Sarah run into Adelaide, who is returning from a bridal shower thrown for her by the Hot Box dancers. Sky explains to Sarah 4:00 AM is his favorite time of day and she is the only woman he has ever wanted to share it with ("My Time of Day"). After revealing to her his real name is Obediah Masterson, Sky and Sarah sing to each other about their newfound love ("I've Never Been In Love Before"). At the end of the song they are met by Arvide, who is returning from a night of Mission work. As they are talking, police bells are heard. Suddenly, Benny, Nicely, Nathan and the other gamblers run out of the Mission chased by Brannigan; Nathan has held the crap game in the Mission. Sarah is convinced Sky's trip to Havana was part of Nathan's plan all along, and angrily breaks off with him.

Act Two

Scene One: Adelaide and the other dancers perform another number at the Hot Box Club ("Take Back Your Mink"). After the number Sky enters and is approached by Nicely, who is looking for Adelaide. He has been sent to tell her Nathan won't be coming to get her after the show. Nicely tells Sky that Nathan is still at the game because Big Jule, who is losing, won't allow the game to end until he wins back his money. Adelaide arrives and, after hearing Nicely's message, realizes Nathan is still running the crap game. She asks Sky to tell Nathan she never wants to see him again. (Reprise: "Adelaide's Lament")

Scene Two: Sarah, angry she is in love with Sky, and convinced he helped set up the Mission crap game, tells Arvide she wants to leave. Arvide sings about his dreams for her future ("More I Cannot Wish You"). Sky and Nicely pass by, on their way to the crap game. Sky tells Sarah and Arvide he intends to honor his IOU to Sarah. He and Nicely open a manhole cover and descend to the crap game, being held in the sewer.

Scene Three: The game is proceeding furiously ("The Crapshooters' Dance"). At the end of the dance, Big Jule again demands they all stay until he wins back the money he has lost (and then some) and uses his gun to back up the demand. He announces he will play with Nathan only, using his own dice, which have no marks on them. Only Jule can call the outcome of each throw, so Nathan is bound to lose. Jule also announces he will play his IOUs against Nathan's cash. When Sky and Nicely appear at the game, Sky tries to talk to the gamblers about the Mission. Big Jule protests, and Sky punches him, knocking him down. Sky grabs Big Jule's gun and tosses it to Nathan. He then proposes a bet on one throw of the dice: if he loses, Sky will pay each gambler $1,000; if he wins, each gambler has to show up at the Mission for the meeting taking place that night. The gamblers all take up Sky's bet. As Sky prepares to throw the dice, he prays to Lady Luck for help ("Luck Be A Lady Tonight").

Scene Four: Harry the Horse and Big Jule complain about having to go to the Mission. Nathan sees Adelaide, who angrily tells him she has told her mother they are expecting their sixth child. Nathan tells her they can't get married before midnight because he has to go to a Mission meeting. Adelaide complains about all of Nathan's lies as Nathan tells her he loves her ("Sue Me").

Scene Five: At a few minutes past midnight, all the gamblers enter the Mission to the surprise of Sarah Brown and the delight of General Abernathy. At the General's request for testimonies, various gamblers tell how they're sorry Sky won his bet. The testimonies continue with Nicely recounting a dream he had about being on a boat to heaven ("Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat"). After the song Nathan confesses to Sarah about his bet with Sky, explaining Sky admitted to losing the bet. Sarah is puzzled by Nathan's statement, since Sky had actually won his bet. She exits the Mission as the General begins to lead the gamblers in a hymn (Reprise: "Follow the Fold").

Scene Six: Sarah and Adelaide meet on the street in the early morning and commiserate about Sky and Nathan. They come to the conclusion they should just concentrate on getting married and worry about changing their men afterward ("Marry the Man Today").

Scene Seven: Adelaide appears in a wedding gown and calls for Nathan, who now operates a newsstand. He emerges from the stand wearing an elegant cut-away and tells her he hasn't yet found a place for their wedding. The Mission Band enters, led by Sky and Sarah, and Nathan asks them if he and Adelaide could get married in the Mission. Arvide, who has already performed the marriage ceremony for Sky and Sarah, promises to do the same for them. When Adelaide details her plans for a little place in the country, Nathan lets out a huge sneeze (Reprise: "Guys and Dolls").

The original production burst onto Broadway in 1950 and ran for 1,200 performances. A 1976 revival with an all-African-American cast including Robert Guillaume ran for 239 performances, and the colorful 1992 revival with Nathan Lane, Peter Gallagher and Faith Prince became the longest-running revival of a Broadway musical, running until January 1995 (almost longer than the original!) The film version starred Marlon Brando as Sky and Frank Sinatra as Nathan.

“This is why Broadway was born!” -Newsweek

"One of the funniest and melodious shows in seasons. Everything about it seems practically perfect." -Variety

"It's the perfect musical comedy." -Daily News

 BACK TO MUNSTER THEATRE COMPANY BULLETIN PAGE