Marblehead High Players to Make Guys and Dolls Their Own

Marblehead High cast and crew will bring the big colorful musical Guys and Dolls to the Veterans Middle School stage this weekend.

The 28 students in the cast and almost equal number of students in the crew have been rehearsing and readying the production since September. 

Senior Lawrence Littler, who plays the avuncular Arvide Abernathy, says Guys and Dolls has the timeless boy-meets-girl theme of classical productions such as South Pacific and Music Man.

The Dolls in the production are soul-saving Salvation Army women.

The Guys are gamblers. The story revolves around how these unlikely pairs might fare in love.

Play Director Fran Betlyon said the challenge has been how to help today's students relate to the wise-cracking gangster world of New York in the 1930s.

Marblehead junior Jacob Sundlie plays the character Sky Masterson. Jacob has been watching Boardwalk Empire, the HBO series set in the Prohibition Era, to fine-tune his understanding of the time Guys and Dolls was set.

Stage Manager Elizabeth Payne says another challenge has been for the Marblehead cast and crew to put their signature on a musical that is done a lot in high school productions.

The goal is for them to make it their own, she said.

Come see for yourself.

The production promises to be funny and visually pleasing, attractive to viewers of all ages.

Mike Bolognese, who plays a craps shooter, says come to the musical if you want to laugh.

Jack Krivit, who also plays a craps shooter, says come to Guys and Dolls if you want to support the high school drama students.

The shows are at the Performing Arts center at Marblehead Middle School at 7 pm Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, and at 2 pm on Sunday, Dec. 15.

The price is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.