Review: A Standing Ovation for GUYS AND DOLLS at River Ridge High School

There are some high schools that put on incredible shows--many of them private schools, performing arts schools and magnet schools. These schools usually have a large fine arts staff and so much money that they are able to make their high school shows look like National Tours. But what about public high schools without a lot of funding, or with one person in the staff (usually a Drama or a Language Arts teacher) leading the way? How good can their shows be, especially in comparison with the affluent prep schools?

If you want an answer, then you should have seen River Ridge High School's production of Frank Loesser's GUYS AND DOLLS at the Center for the Arts on February 10th, 11th and 12th (the last performance). They don't have a $40,000 budget or a myriad of staff members guiding the production along; they have a limited budget and one single drama teacher. So how do you think the show succeeded? Were they able to pull off the joyous glitz of what Entertainment Weekly ranked as the greatest musical of all time?

Don't worry, the answer is yes, they pulled it off and then some. Because their teacher just isn't your run-of-the-mill drama teacher (if there ever is such a thing); they have Broadway veteran Diana Rogers at the helm, and she has led her young cast and crew to a wonderful show that left audiences, young and old alike, humming as they exited the theater. It ranks as one of the better shows that RRHS has done in the past ten or so years, up there with the likes of Anything Goes, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Into the Woods.

It's so refreshing when a high school has done a classic and has done it right. So many times they are stuck doing the more recent works (Rent, anyone?) that the classics get eclipsed. So it's always a treat when this generation does an iconic musical. And GUYS AND DOLLS certainly fits that much-needed bill right now.

Based on the stories of Damon Runyon, GUYS AND DOLLS (Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows) follows the exploits of gambler Sky Masterson and his bet with Nathan Detroit (another gambler, who also has been engaged to his sniffling fiancee, Adelaide, for fourteen years) that lands him in the arms of prudish Sarah Brown from the Save-A-Soul mission. It includes some of the finest songs in musical theatre history, including "Fugue for Tinhorns," "Bushel and a Peck," "Luck Be a Lady," and "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat."

As Nathan Detroit, Chris Cavazza, a junior, looks 35 years old, especially with his Gomez Addams mustache. His acting is phenomenal here, hitting all the right notes. Alysia Wargo-Rodriguez, a senior, makes a dynamite Adelaide, part Judy Holliday, part Vivian Blaine, but she also makes it her own. Her "Adelaide's Lament," one of the greatest songs written for a character actress, hit a home run.

When Nathan and Adelaide are onstage, the show is like a high-speed locomotive coming right at you. Their timing is spot on, especially in my favorite song from the show, "Sue Me," with Adelaide physically attacking Nathan with anything in her hands. They play off each other perfectly.

As Sky, Bryan Lankston has a marvelous singing voice, powerful and pleasing to the ear. But oftentimes he speaks his words in an odd accent and a halting start-and-stop manner, sounding like Sheldon Leonard imitating William Shatner as James T. Kirk. Theresa Smith, as Sarah, is an amazing singer with an angel-pure voice, perfect for the holier-than-thou Miss Brown. But her acting needs to match her singing. She's a lovely presence onstage, but we need to find a reason why Nathan picks her out of the crowd to be courted by Sky. Why didn't he choose some of the other Carrie Nation types from the Save-A-Soul mission? What about this particular Sarah made him choose her? Lankston and Smith make a darling pair; we just need to feel their hidden longings. Their scenes, though fine, do not crackle the same way as Nathan's and Adelaide's. They need the same kind of connection, the same wonderful energy.

River Ridge High School is quite lucky that they have so many talented fellows. The gamblers were incredible, and their harmonies were glorious. Caleb Brening plays Nicely-Nicely Johnson, and the moment he sings the first line from "Fugue for Tinhorns," he set the bar for the entire show. We knew we were in good hands. The rest of the production followed his lead. Brening, Dylan Odom and Ryon Eberhard made a fantastic trio in "The Oldest Established..." and "Guys and Dolls." Boy, these guys can sing!

The other gamblers are no vocal slouches, all doing superior work, including Jeremy Bobowski, Noah Vargas, and Matthew Vickery. Zac Philbeck is quite tall as Big Jule, but he could be even more imposing; still, he had some funny moments.

Shaun Memmel was quite strong as Arvide Abernathy; he did a fine job with "More I Cannot Wish You." And Cole Reiche, as Harry the Horse, gives a master class in how to steal a play. He was always in character, jolting every scene to life the moment he entered.

The Hot Box girls were lively, and their dances endearing but messy: Lilliana Diamantopulos, Kristina Shappell, Shay Davis, Katelyn Kirves, Brianna Fawley, Sarah Bobowski, Cate Huyuck, Marissa Dionne, Cassandra Perkins, and DeVon Jackson. The standouts of the lot were Kylie Arseneau, a freshman, and Ella Stanszewski, a junior.

Sophia Jabbour as Agatha and Emily Hutchinson as General Cartwright were exemplary, though Hutchinson could be more forceful, more intimidating, as Cartwright. Other cast members include Kaila Harper, Izzy Pravato, Ian Coffey, and Tommy Dukeman.

Last but not least, Zachary Schumacher, a junior, was fine as Lt. Brannigan, but he came alive as a spicy Cuban dancer. You haven't lived until you've seen his wild gyrations during the Havana scenes. In his man-bun, he looked like John Belushi as a Samurai Warrior mixed with Tom Cruise in Cocktail and a frenetic go-go dancer.

Director Diana Rogers has created a perfect representation of the classic. Colorful, beautifully staged, and full of life, just what every production of GUYS AND DOLLS needs. Katie Miesner's choreography was adorable and clever. And great work from the stage crew, and stage manager Jordan Simon, who kept the show rolling along. Matt Beil's lighting was full of pizazz but not overwhelming, and Dan Gentry's sound never missed a beat. The set was serviceable, but the fountain and lit "Hot Box" sign were things of beauty.

Cole Hudson's costumes were beautifully rendered and pleasing to the eye. (They were also true to the time period, something most students who mistakenly think Disco came out in the 1950's miss.)

The small orchestration, led by Marvin Lovett, featured RRHS students Matt Kirves, Logan Skinner, Natalie Sallah, Tyler Hamilton, Brad Bozigar, Joseph Iannone, Emma Garvey, and alumnus Aidan Gmelin. They really kept the show moving at a brisk, entertaining pace.

No production is ever perfect, and this one had some minor issues. Sometimes an actor would wait too long for a laugh, or the timing would be off in a few moments. And as professional-looking as the "Playbill" program is (it won Playbill Program of the Week), there were several misspellings in it. But this is nitpicking. The overall show was extremely impressive, and vocally it stands as one of RRHS' very best. The entire cast and crew should be beaming with pride.

Starting next school year, River Ridge High School is scheduled to become a FAME Academy. (FAME stands for Fine Arts Music Education.) They will potentially be known as the fine arts school in the area, so maybe they will get more funding and more performing arts teachers. We'll see. Besides, that's not until August. But judging from the excellence I saw onstage in GUYS AND DOLLS, when it comes to their musical theatre department, they are already there.

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