St. Charles East High School’s theater department debuted their performance of the musical “Guys & Dolls” on May 2, 2025, with performances to follow on May 3 and 4.
I had previously seen movie productions of 2022’s “Into the Woods,” 2023’s “Legally Blonde,” and 2024’s “The Addams Family” before seeing East’s productions, so when seeing “Guys & Dolls,” I didn’t know what to expect. It was a more traditional musical than I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it made every actor, dancer and pit orchestra member shine. It really elevated the humor, vocal talent and acting of every member and was a great production to round out the year.
Once the curtains open, the audience welcomes a dance piece completely devoid of lyrics or dialogue. This opening scene cements the rest of the show as a dance-heavy production in contrast to the musicals of the past three years. I was pleasantly surprised as dancers cross the stage, showing off the different groups of gamblers, hotbox girls and missionaries that are highlighted in the three-hour musical.
“Guys & Dolls” for context is set in 1950s New York, although some performances have altered the time period slightly. Lead Nathan Detroit (played by senior Chris Florio) attempts to secretly set up an underground craps game without his fiance of 14 years, Miss Adelaide (played by sophomore Adrianna Melvin) finding out. It also highlights missionary Lieutenant Sarah Brown (played by senior Angie Escarcita) as she attempts to set the gamblers on the right path and help them expel the sin from their lives. The first scene of the musical set the tone of the rest of the show, proving the hard work and dedication of the cast as they catapult from scene to scene (literally).
Florio was accompanied by junior Ian Cirpinski as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, sophomore Mars Nicholson as Benny Southstreet and senior Ish Patel as Rusty Charlie in his group of gamblers. After the beginning dance scene, Cirpinski, Nicholson and Patel’s characters opened the show with the first dialogue and sing a song that alternates solos between the three of them. The humor brought to the show by these three gamblers is essential to break up the tension derived from Nathan Detroit constantly blowing off his fiance in search of a venue for his craps game.
Senior Olivia Burchett was the assistant choreographer for the musical and her moves showed through in every scene. Especially so in the scene set in Havana, Cuba. There were multiple cartwheels and even headstands in the dance number that were flawlessly executed.
As act one wrapped up, we see a transition from the Havana scene back to New York. Previously, on a high from dancing and drinking, Escarcita’s character is beginning to come back down to Earth and is realizing that her spontaneous trip to Cuba may not have been the best decision. As the cause-driven missionary became close with gambler Sky Masterson (played by Brody Tyner) in Cuba, the pair were thrust apart. Masterson’s whole intent in taking Brown to Cuba was winning a bet set by Detroit, but he slowly realized that he truly loved her and it wasn’t simply a bet.
Another highlight was junior Vince Minaglia’s performance as Joey Biltmore and as the announcer for the hotbox dancers. The junior shone on stage, his white suit a contrast with the red curtains as Minaglia shouted in his dramatic voice announcing Miss Adelaide and her dancers. Following his announcement, the curtains promptly open to introduce another stunning performance by the talented dancers in matching white-blonde wigs. It was almost hard to differentiate between the actors as each dancer wore the same outfit in these scenes, along with similar wigs. The only actor dressed in a different outfit was Melvin in a dress that coordinated with the rest of the hotbox dancers. The dancers at first wore a yellow feathered number, and later in the show, a midnight blue dress that was stripped off to reveal shorts and a tank top.
In act two, tensions ramp up when the gamblers are forced to recede to the sewer to play their craps game. Gambler Big Jule, played by senior Josh Kennedy, extend the game and the pressure as he uses dice without dots to take all of Detroit’s money. Masterson, returned from Cuba, makes one final bet for the souls of the gamblers in order to persuade them to come to the mission and save it from being closed.
The final tense moment began in the mission as General Cartwright, played by junior Haylee Kaliski, threatened to shut down Brown’s chapter of the mission if she didn’t have a successful prayer meeting. With the help of Masterson and all of the reluctant gamblers, over a dozen “sinners” filed into the meeting, and the mission was saved.
Overall, the musical ended happily with Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide being married by missionary Arvide Abernathy (played by senior Ian Maxfield). It also revealed that Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown were also married off-stage by Abernathy. Going into this musical knowing none of the plot, I was captivated by the twists and turns and the impressive accents done by the actors. The performance felt real and was captivating, bringing the audience to 1950’s era New York.
