{"id":101512,"date":"2025-04-11T15:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T15:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=101512"},"modified":"2025-04-18T15:14:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T15:14:07","slug":"uri-theatre-department-celebrates-the-75th-anniversary-of-guys-and-dolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/uri-theatre-department-celebrates-the-75th-anniversary-of-guys-and-dolls\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department celebrates the 75th anniversary of ‘Guys and Dolls’\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 11, 2025 \u2013 Songs like \u201cLuck Be a Lady\u201d crooned by Frank Sinatra, \u201cBushel and a Peck\u201d sung by your grandmother, or \u201cSit Down, You\u2019re Rocking the Boat\u201d that found its way into popular modern television shows (see It\u2019s Always Sunny in Philadelphia<\/em>) are so embedded in American culture, they\u2019ve transcended their source material. However, that fact does not deter from the ardent love Guys and Dolls <\/em>has inspired for the last seven and a half decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department presents the classic American musical for the first time on campus, in tandem with celebrating its 75th anniversary. Guys and Dolls<\/em>, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, first premiered on Broadway in 1950 and quickly became one of the most beloved musicals of its time. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt is one of the most award-winning musicals of all time. We have an incredible team on that show. This is the only play to be put on in the Will Theatre this season to match the vastness and largess of a brilliant show like Guys and Dolls<\/em>. Americana \u2013 that\u2019s what it is,\u201d said Paula McGlasson, chair of the Theatre Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show is known for its catchy score, vibrant characters, and engaging storyline that blends romance, humor, and high-stakes drama. The story follows the intertwining stories of gamblers and the women they love, set in Depression-era Times Square, focusing on Sky Masterson (Ethan Clarke), who falls for Sarah Brown (Eva St-Germain), and Nathan Detroit (Brandon Tallardy), who is trying to find a place for his craps game while struggling with his long-term engagement to Miss Adelaide (Abbey Pezza).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Directed by Jimmy Calitri, a professor of theatre at Providence College, this production will take place in the 1950s, a period beautifully accented by David T. Howard’s meticulous costume design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy approach is to engage with the time (around 1951) as best as we can through costumes. It\u2019s my attempt to try to capture the essence of 1950s urban America while adding a little bit of nostalgia and a little bit of fantasy,\u201d said Howard. \u201cHonestly, you can’t put everyone in black double breasted pinstripe suits and fedoras. The colors we\u2019re using are a little bit brighter; patterns a little bit broader. The characters are larger than life and so the world must mirror that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Calitri in the director\u2019s seat, Dante Sciarra as choreographer, and alumna Emily Turtle \u201819, as musical director, the production has been nothing but filled with joy. The symbiotic relationship between these roles is imperative for a show of this size to succeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe joke because the three of us get along so well. Whenever somebody has an idea, we’re all in; the one who proposed the idea sometimes asks us to fight back, but oftentimes we genuinely agree and will only fight back on something if we really mean it. Not only do we like each other, but we trust each other\u2019s work ethic and experience and knowledge,\u201d said Calitri <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire production takes place on New York City streets, alleyways, nightclubs, and sewers. This setting is realized by scenic designer James Horban, who taps into an abstract and impressionistic style. On the first day of production, Horban filled a table with images of paintings and closeups of architecture that evoked a specific mood or implied a bustling city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe had this one impressionist painting that was the very first one I picked, and James said that was the original image he based everything on. I saw all of those colors and abstract skyscrapers, but I also didn\u2019t want it to be super real. I wanted to have anchor pieces like the newsstand or telephone booth, and some really good lighting,\u201d explained Calitri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, the show would have over 40 people in the cast, an ensemble for the mission band and a separate one for the gangsters, dancers, and singers. This production only has 24 actors, with four leads and other supporting roles. The ensemble is tasked with multiple costume changes, maintaining several different characters, and pages of blocking. It undoubtedly requires a unique level of athleticism and teamwork to pull off effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First-year student Max Hunter plays the supporting role of Nicely Nicely Johnson, a cheerful, loyal, and naive gambler who serves as Nathan\u2019s right-hand-man. Hunter also starred as Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher<\/em> earlier this year and is eager to work with a variety of directors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJimmy\u2019s got a great artistic mind and he really allows us to have the freedom to try things on stage while also still touching on the elements that people are going to expect from an \u2018old timey\u2019 musical like Guys and Dolls<\/em>,\u201d said Hunter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calitri is no stranger to a big, broad musical. His experience with large-scale musical productions like Singing in the Rain<\/em>, Something Rotten<\/em>, Seussical<\/em>, and Shrek<\/em> have undoubtedly influenced his work on this American classic. What makes his approach particularly unique is the intersection of his talents for sweeping musicals combined with his masters degree in social justice theatre. This cocktail of introspective and actionable activism that informs a piece of art and the fanfare of Americana musicals elevates a production that could otherwise feel a bit surface level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the nostalgia of Guys and Dolls<\/em> is an easy form of escapism for the average theatre-goer, there\u2019s a complexity to the text that this creative team was able to bring to the surface. Specifically, there were lengthy conversations about women and how they were treated in the 1950s.  During table work, transfer student Abbey Pezza, who plays Miss Adelaide, noticed how the women are actually the beating heart of this story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have agency,\u201d Pezza said, \u201cIt\u2019s not just the women following men around and responding to their actions. Sarah is kind of the moral compass of the show. Miss Adelaide knows what she wants and isn\u2019t willing to put up with anything less. We talked about how societal gender norms are placed on us, and it\u2019s so hard to break out of those shells because it\u2019s what society has been telling us for hundreds of years. And sometimes it can be very uncomfortable, and it can be hard for you as a person to be vulnerable because you feel like you\u2019re going against what you\u2019ve been taught.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are a number of themes in this show, perhaps the most important one is simply, love. It is clear that love is being celebrated onstage, but also in the rehearsal room. For a show of this magnitude, copious amounts of love must be poured in for the audience to genuinely receive it. The vibrancy of the music, the whimsy of the costumes, the heart and vulnerability of building these characters amount to something truly special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis particular show, I’ve never directed and most of the team hasn’t done, which, to me, is a really great thing that we get to do this really big iconic show that is 75 years old on the anniversary and it\u2019s kind of fresh for everybody\u2013which is very rare,\u201d said Calitri. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGuys and Dolls\u201d runs April 17-19 and 23-26 at 7:30 p.m. and April 27 at 2 p.m. in the Robert E. Will Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $18 for senior citizens and 溏心vlog免费B站 students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online at www.uri.edu\/theatre, by calling (401) 874-5843 or at the box office in Room 101H of the Fine Arts Center.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative Team<\/strong>
Director, Jimmy Calitri
Costume Designer, David Howard
Scenic Designer, James Horban
Sound Designer, Michael Hyde
Choreographer, Dante Sciarra
Lighting Designer, Jessica Winward
Musical Director, Emily Turtle<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Guys and Dolls” cast<\/strong>
Isaiah Agabi (Brandy Bottle Bates, Calvin, Ensemble)
Aliza Almonte (Hot Box Girl, Ensemble)
Skyler Bobinski (Scranton Slim, Dance Captain)
Ethan Clarke (Sky Masterson)
Caroline Cronin (Ensemble, U\/S Sarah)
Noah Dukat (Angie the Ox)
Joey Fortune (Hot Box Girl, Agatha, U\/S Adelaide
Terrance Fry Jr. (Pocket Watch Paulie)
Vincent Grippo Jr. (Big Jule)
Max Hunter (Nicely Nicely Johnson)
Princess Johnson (Hot Box Girl, Main)
Ella Kenny (Martha, Hot Box Girl, Dance Captain)
Dylan Lang (Harry the Horse)
Sydney Nogueira (General Cartwright)
Abbey Pezza (Miss Adelaide)
Jeremy Rodriguez (Ensemble)
David Santana (Rusty Charlie)
Cecilia Savage (Hot Box Girl, Dancer)
Christopher Scarpa (Lt. Brannigan, Joey Biltmore)
Eva St-Germain (Sarah Brown)
Cole Stanley (Benny Southstreet)
Brandon Tallardy (Nathan Detroit)
Eric Towne (Arvide Abernathy)
Chayla Valentine (Hot Box Girl)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This press release was written by Paige Monopoli, communications coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 11, 2025 \u2013 Songs like \u201cLuck Be a Lady\u201d crooned by Frank Sinatra, \u201cBushel and a Peck\u201d sung by your grandmother, or \u201cSit Down, You\u2019re Rocking the Boat\u201d that found its way into popular modern television shows (see It\u2019s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are so embedded in American culture, they\u2019ve transcended […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":101513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101512"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101690,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101512\/revisions\/101690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}