Wakefield High School has decided to put on “Guys and Dolls” for their spring musical this year. “Guys and Dolls” is a musical set in New York City that showcases the lives of gamblers, showgirls and missionaries. It revolves around a story of love, and contains many amazing characters and songs like “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” Tonight, they will be opening and showing off what they have been rehearsing months for.
Caden Olson, who plays Arvide Abernathy, is a sophomore who will be performing in his first-ever musical with the Wakefield Theatre Company. He has had experience watching his family members perform in “Guys and Dolls,” as well as watching other performances of the musical.
“I’ve never done a performance before,” Olson said. “Since I’ve had family experience with this, I thought it would be really interesting and I was right.”
Icarus McGrath, who plays Nathan Detroit, is a senior, making this his final show in high school. He has been committed to the Wakefield Theatre Company since the fourth grade, with his first show being “Jungle Book Kids”. McGrath is excited to perform with his cast members and for an audience to come see the show.
“I really think this is the best cast I have ever worked with in my entire theatre career. Getting together as a group has just been the best experience,” McGrath said. “[The friendships] do not just stay in the rehearsal space but also [continue] outside of school.”
Ali Levey, the stage manager for the production, is headed into their final performance in high school. They have just recently realized that this will be their last show, so they are thinking about how things will change when this is all over.
“It is weird because I’m getting a lot of nostalgia during the show,” Levey said. “A lot of the props and sets are stuff that we also used for my first production as a technician here a for ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’”
Paul Orsett, the director and teacher of the Wakefield Theatre Company, has made a lasting impact on the school’s productions year after year. He has enjoyed working with the cast and crew through rehearsals, and is very excited to open up the musical for people to see. As he is retiring at the end of the school year, “Guys and Dolls” will be his last production at Wakefield.
“It takes every role for a show to be successful. We all have to pull together to make it work and with a positive, hard-working ethic, you can accomplish anything,” Orsett said.
After the Wakefield Theatre Company won best ensemble for their production of “Sleeping Beauty the Musical” last year, the cast and crew have been beyond excited to get this production up and running. This year they are participating in the DPAC Rising Star Awards again for “Guys and Dolls”.
As tonight’s opening night, make sure to get your tickets now, before it sells out! The cast and crew members cannot wait for an audience to be in seats and see the awaited production of “Guys and Dolls.” The showtimes for “Guys and Dolls” will be Thursday and Friday at 7pm, as well as Saturday with a matinee at 2pm along with a 7pm showing. Anyone interested can buy their tickets online or in person for only $10 to $15.
“[Audience members] will take away that love is not something you can just know when you see it,” said McGrath. “Love comes and it will hit you and you won’t know what to do with it when you get it, but how you receive it is the more important part. Another strong message from the show is [from] one of the songs, ‘Marry the Man Today,’ [as it says] you cannot change someone, you have to love who they are.”
