Following the successful launch of their "Sounds of the Stars" CD, Queen's College (QC) students and staff will again raise the curtain on another fabulous production -- this time they will bring the bright lights of 1950s New York and the exciting and enthralling musical tale of "Guys and Dolls" to the stage at the Geoffrey Brown Auditorium.
Set against the backdrop of prohibition, the story surrounds a group of "Runyonland" characters intent on holding the oldest established, permanent floating crap game in New York. But with the cops breathing down their necks and a cocktail of "gals" and bets adding to the stress, Nathan Detroit (played by Hubert Gibson) and his sidekicks Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Joel Sweeting) and Benny Southstreet (Karrington McKenzie) must come up with a plan that will ultimately save their reputations and their souls.
With music and lyrics originally by Frank Loesser and featuring sizzling and swinging hits such as "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" and "Luck Be a Lady", the 80-strong cast promises to dazzle its audience.
Featured in the production along with Gibson, Sweeting and McKenzie will be Natalie Lester, David Allens and Tristen Glinter.
The musical takes to the stage tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. nightly with a 2 p.m. matinee tomorrow at the school's auditorium on Village Road.
Gregory Deane, the head of modern languages department at QC who is also a QC alumnus and a veteran of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts stage, directs the play.
Deane was impressed by the overwhelming participation of male students, including some of the school's most decorated athletes who comprise more than half the cast. He said the students' singing, dancing and energy are what makes the show what it is -- a show about guys for guys that still appeals to everyone -- boys and girls, young and old.
The music affords families the opportunity to take in a wholesome, heartwarming event, according to said Shawn Turnquest, QC's vice-principal and head of high school. "Broadway Over Queen's aptly plays a role in fulfilling this ongoing mission. Patrons will see our students act, sing and dance, thereby showing their passion for the performing arts," he said.
Turnquest said the students and staff embraced the challenge of staging a professionally produced musical, and in so doing, enriched the cultural life of not only the school, but hopefully the nation.
The musical "Guys and Dolls" first played on Broadway in 1950 and continued for many years. In 1997, the same musical was performed at the Dundas Center for the Performing Arts under the direction of former QC Principal Philip Cash. In that performance, Deane played the part of Benny Southstreet.
"As the highly-skilled director of this year's production, Mr. Deane has worked tirelessly to provide you with an experience that you will not soon forget," said Turnquest.
She commended the students who prepared for months to delight the audiences they expect to attract each evening.
"One of the very few things that drives me and consumes me and leaves me completely exhausted and happy is theater," said Deane. "I discovered that making people laugh and feel and think was a gift that I somehow inherited from my parents at a very early age.
"There is nothing I find more fulfilling. Most of all, if I can somehow turn a new generation onto a different genre of music and expose them to a world of entertainment beyond the confines of their private world of iPod and iPhone isolation then my work will not have been in vain."
BROADWAY OVER QUEEN'S PRESENTS GUYS AND DOLLS
When: Tonight and Saturday, March 29
Where: Geoffrey Brown Auditorium at Queen's College
Time: 7:30 p.m. nightly with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday.
Tickets: $15 adults and $10 students
Box office: At the school

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