Actor Dane Bower has been listening to the soundtrack of “Guys and Dolls” since his grandfather played it for him as a child.
More than 20 years later, he is portraying the show’s romantic lead, Sky Masterson, at the Music Box Playhouse in Swoyersville.
The show runs through Feb. 21. Fridays and Saturdays, the buffet-styled dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m., with curtain rising at 8 p.m., while Sunday matinees will have the meal at 1:30 p.m. and curtain at 3 p.m.
“Guys and Dolls” is a classic musical with music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser and text by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on two short stories by Damon Runyon, “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure.”
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1950 and has been revived several times since. It follows gangsters and gamblers in New York City during the Great Depression, as well as the Save-A-Soul mission group that tries to get the sinners of the city to repent. And, of course, there are two love stories entwined with the main plot, one with a couple that has been engaged for 14 years and the other, a gambler trying to win the heart of a mission sergeant.
Director Dan Pascoe explained that the Times Square set pieces were originally used in 1995, the last time the theater put on a production of “Guys and Dolls,” while the hot box set and the mission set were created this year, taking inspiration from the old set. Each piece pops with color and has the perfect feel for the show, with big block buildings and large, funky lettering.
“Some directors have a vision or method to each show,” Pascoe said. “But I went into it saying we’re going to do the classic ‘Guys & Dolls,’ because that’s the way it should be done. Some people would set it on Neptune.”
The best part of this production, Pascoe said, was the cast he was able to work with. He claimed they made it so he “didn’t wake up with a panic attack each morning,” worrying about the next rehearsal.
Many cast members agreed.
“The cast is really cohesive and we’ve really bonded,” Ericka Law said. “There’s a lot of new faces and it’s been a fun process. We all have a mutual respect and all care about the show and each other, and want it to be good.”
“Getting to work with this cast (was my favorite),” Bower said. “The main four of us have spent a lot of time developing our characters together, because you have to make it believable.”
Each of the lead four characters has distinct qualities about them that the actors had to work on in order for the audience to feel as though they are real people, while at the same time finding their character arcs.
“It’s not a demanding role, vocally, but at the beginning Sky is very cocksure and confident and misogynistic,” Bower said. “But I try to take my likeable characteristics and put them into Sky. It’s easy to turn everyone into a cartoon character, but we need to make them realistic for the audience.”
Law, who plays Sarah Brown, said the character is similar to ones she has played before and feels like they “parallel” her own personality.
“I think and she’s naive and charming,” Law said. “It parallels to me because I’m not as crazy outgoing like an Adelaide would be. But I like the growth of Sarah throughout the show, it’s fun. Sky kind of breaks her down. It’s a dynamic role. What has to come across is how Sky affects Sarah. So trying to find a balance between Sarah at the beginning and Sarah at the end is difficult.”
Both Jimmy Williams and Megan Horwatt, who play Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide respectively, said they enjoy playing the boisterous and comedic characters that they can really throw themselves into.
“(Nathan) is very physical and over the top, much like myself,” Williams said. “I learned very early in my acting career that I am what is known as a ‘character actor.’ I get to play all of the over the top roles and I’m happy with that lot in life.”
“I’m just drawn to fun, silly, larger-than-life characters, so I was thrilled to be offered the role of Adelaide,” Horwatt added. “This show is so full of energy and I’m looking forward to sharing that with the audience.”
With 25 people in the cast, getting everyone to rehearsal on the same days was a challenge, but during a full run-through of the show just six days out from opening, the show was in good shape, Pascoe said. He hopped up on stage, directing cast members through a run of the title song, calling out ‘Bingo!’ when they perform it the way he envisioned in his head.
“I am the architect and the eye, and (the cast) is the life,” Pascoe said.
The musical flows between songs that are upbeat and catchy, such as “Fugue for Tinhorns,” “Guys and Dolls,” and “Bushel and a Peck” to more ballad-like tunes, such as “Adelaide’s Lament,” “I’ll Know,” and “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” without skipping a beat or feeling out of place.