KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� April 11, 2025 鈥� Songs like 鈥淟uck Be a Lady鈥� crooned by Frank Sinatra, 鈥淏ushel and a Peck鈥� sung by your grandmother, or 鈥淪it Down, You鈥檙e Rocking the Boat鈥� that found its way into popular modern television shows (see It鈥檚 Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are so embedded in American culture, they鈥檝e transcended their source material. However, that fact does not deter from the ardent love Guys and Dolls has inspired for the last seven and a half decades.
The 成人直播 Theatre Department presents the classic American musical for the first time on campus, in tandem with celebrating its 75th anniversary. Guys and Dolls, 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.
鈥淚t 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. Americana 鈥� that鈥檚 what it is,鈥� said Paula McGlasson, chair of the Theatre Department.
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).
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.
鈥淢y approach is to engage with the time (around 1951) as best as we can through costumes. It鈥檚 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,鈥� said Howard. 鈥淗onestly, you can’t put everyone in black double breasted pinstripe suits and fedoras. The colors we鈥檙e using are a little bit brighter; patterns a little bit broader. The characters are larger than life and so the world must mirror that.鈥�
With Calitri in the director鈥檚 seat, Dante Sciarra as choreographer, and alumna Emily Turtle 鈥�19, 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.
鈥淲e 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鈥檚 work ethic and experience and knowledge,鈥� said Calitri
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.
鈥淗e 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鈥檛 want it to be super real. I wanted to have anchor pieces like the newsstand or telephone booth, and some really good lighting,鈥� explained Calitri.
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.
First-year student Max Hunter plays the supporting role of Nicely Nicely Johnson, a cheerful, loyal, and naive gambler who serves as Nathan鈥檚 right-hand-man. Hunter also starred as Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher earlier this year and is eager to work with a variety of directors.
鈥淛immy鈥檚 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 鈥榦ld timey鈥� musical like Guys and Dolls,鈥� said Hunter.
Calitri is no stranger to a big, broad musical. His experience with large-scale musical productions like Singing in the Rain, Something Rotten, Seussical, and Shrek 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.
While the nostalgia of Guys and Dolls is an easy form of escapism for the average theatre-goer, there鈥檚 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.
鈥淭hey have agency,鈥� Pezza said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 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鈥檛 willing to put up with anything less. We talked about how societal gender norms are placed on us, and it鈥檚 so hard to break out of those shells because it鈥檚 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鈥檙e going against what you鈥檝e been taught.鈥�
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.
鈥淭his 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鈥檚 kind of fresh for everybody鈥搘hich is very rare,鈥� said Calitri.
鈥淕uys and Dolls鈥� 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 成人直播 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.
Creative Team
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
“Guys and Dolls” cast
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)
This press release was written by Paige Monopoli, communications coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences.