Cappies Review: Mount Vernon High School's 'Guys and Dolls'

• PHOTO: From left to right: Erin Hugee, Tyler Shores, Samuel Zarek/Photo by Carlos Suanes for Lifetouch
• By Lily Habenstreit of Albert Einstein High School

In the timeline of Broadway history, the 1950's are known as the "Golden Age" of musical theatre for a reason. With their captivating stories and universal messages, inventively conveyed through narrative music, the shows of this era have become the classics that epitomize the American idea of musical theatre. At Mt. Vernon High School, the audience was swept back to this glamourous time with the company's spirited production of the pinnacle show of the era, Guys and Dolls.

Guys and Dolls, with music and lyrics by the incomparable Frank Loesser, opened on Broadway in 1950 and became an instant success, winning the Tony for Best Musical and being adapted into a 1955 film with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. Set in sinful New York City, the show follows gambler Nathan Detroit who, in scraping to find money for his crapshoot, incidentally sets up unlikely couple of infamous gambler Sky Masterson and missionary Sarah Brown, while simultaneously alienating himself from his own frustrated, long-time fiancé, Adelaide. As the two love stories progress, the show raises the question of what love truly is and how much one will risk to fight for it.

The central ladies spearheaded the show with their strong presences and character development. As Miss Adelaide, Sofi Harai displayed a beautiful, jazzy belt that fit her sassy character excellently. Her commitment to character, especially through her accent, allowed her to embody the seemingly simple character with shades of both comedy and sincerity. Eva Alpar, as Sarah Brown, developed her contrastingly strict character well through her rigid physicality and lovely, proper soprano voice. They each had good chemistry with their partners, Tyler Shores as Nathan Detroit and Christian Menendez as Sky Masterson. The men juxtaposed each other well, with Shores's comedic energy contrasting Menendez's slick, mature spirit, and both exhibited strong focus in their roles.

The ensemble was led by the sharp duo of Samuel Zarek and Erin Hugee, portraying gamblers Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet, respectively. Zarek's clear tenor voice paired well with Hugee's low harmonizing abilities, and the two maintained comedic energy through the long, difficult show.

The technical elements were simplistic, allowing the show to move fluidly. Detailed background projections were used to set each scene, and helped to establish the spirit of the flashy time period. The lighting highlighted the varying moods of the scenes well.

With vocal diversity and strength, distinct character progression, and general company unity, the cast and crew at Mt. Vernon High School recreated the old-age, yet ever-relevant, spirit of the classic Guys and Dolls.