Fans of 1950s era Broadway will get a kick out of Pen High’s latest production, the classic musical Guys and Dolls.
For drama student Lucas Golden, who plays Sky Masterson, the high school theatre productions provide a chance to improve his acting skills by playing many different roles.
“Every year, the shows get better and better as we have more and more resources and more and more talent and people to bring in,” he said.
Golden’s current role is different from what he is used to playing, he said.
“I generally play the comic relief. I’m a bit of a comedian. But Sky Masterson is a bit more of a suave debonair character. So it is a bit of a different character choice for me but I’ve been enjoying it.”
He said the audience will enjoy the music and songs in the production.
“I love the music. We’ve had some good music in the past but the Guys and Dolls stuff is really, really fun. We have a wonderful band backing us up.”
This year, jazz pianist and music educator Justin Glibbery is helping them out with the music.
“We chose this one because we wanted to have increasingly a bigger band sound,” director and drama school teacher Andrew Knudsen, “We also have a twenty-piece band that is going to be in the orchestra playing live with our actors.”
He said the 1950s production, Guys and Dolls, plays to the strength of the city, with it having an older population.
“I think people will really like the scene from Havana. I think they’ll like one of the closing numbers, which is Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat.”
Guys and Dolls hits the stage at the Cleland Theatre next Tuesday, May 28 and runs until Friday. Show times are 7 p.m. There is a Thursday matinée at noon. Tickets are $10.