Call it sad, call it funny, but it's better than even money that the best show in town this weekend is the Woodland Hills Performing Arts Department's production of "Guys and Dolls, Jr." as this year's junior musical.
The show premieres Thursday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. inside Woodland Hills High School's Thomas G. Crone Auditorium. Additional shows are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. The box office is open one hour before showtime for each performance.
A true Broadway Classic, "Guys and Dolls, Jr." brings all of the humor and heart from Frank Loesser's original musical, specially adapted for the junior high stage. Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyan, and with a book by Jo Swelling and Abe Burrows, "Guys and Dolls, Jr." takes the audience back in time to a New York City where every two-bit hustler and small-time gambler thinks they're one good dice roll from making it big.
One of those gamblers, Nathan Detroit, has two major problems: He can't afford the one available location for his next game, and his longtime fiancee, Adelaide, is questioning whether they'll ever get married and if he'll ever give up gambling.
Meanwhile, Sarah Brown is struggling to pull in sinners willing to repent at the Save-a-Soul Mission. When Nathan places a bet against Sky Masterson to try and score enough money to sponsor his next dice game, Sky and Sarah find themselves entangled in an unlikely - and potentially life-changing - romance. "Guys and Dolls, Jr." follows Nathan, Adelaide, Sky, Sarah, and the rest of the cast as they try to untangle their increasingly complex relationships.
Directed by Mr. Robert Carr, the cast features Nicolas Damico as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Emmett Brubaker as Benny Southstreet, Natalie Steiner as Rusty Charlie, Xaleia Harmon and Zoe Wisnik as Sarah Brown, Drayonna Robinson and Leela Norman as Arvide Abernathy, Gabriel Watson as Harry the Horse, Nathaniel Willson as Nathan Detroit, Thea Wik and Elizabeth Ketchum as Miss Adelaide, Connor Staley and Nasir Mosley as Sky Masterson, Amiyah Holeman as Mimi, Bella Colaguori as General Cartwright, and Adriese Jackson as Big Jule.
The Mission Band is played by Layla Chinn, Merryn Fritzberg, Adalyn Matthews, and Legacy Willis. The ensemble includes Prisja Aiken, Zoe Biddle, Gummie Brown, Shyla Brown, Eva Bulls, Samantha Burgh, Aria Delancey, Charlotte Kovach, Natalie Mosley, Katelyn Pittler, Naomi Robertson, Catelya Rodriguez, Katy Sachetti, Madison Smith, Bailey Watson, and Cate Watson.
The student stage crew includes Nate Abrams, Austin Ansell, Maxime Balkey, Christin Bliss, Chris Bliss, Colette Ciocco, Abby Clark, Bella Colaguori, Henry Dettore, Jonas Divelbiss, Alex Estep, Camden Evans, Aydin Faizi, Gia Farrar, Grayson Farrar, Emma Gensure, Cameron Gottschalk, Eleanor Haines, Atticus Holleran, Madelyn Holsing, Anthony Hornak, Matthias Horst, Abigail Horst, Arin Ireland, Kristy Kauffman, Lucy Marshall, Raylyn Massie, Katelyn Master, Sophia McGuigan, Oliver Meuser, Rosie Moon, Cooper Morse, Spencer Morse, Joseph Murphy, Leela Norman, Tate Norman, Liam O’Connor, Adrianna Pezzano, Breanna Pezzano, Katelyn Pittler, Sam Pittler, Scarlett Poplawsky, Maliha Reed, Maddie Reeder, Sydney Saunders, Brian Slaczka, Keagan Tkach, Jade Vaughn, Cate Watson, Stella Wheaton, Elise Wik, Thea Wik, Nate Willson, and Viola Zuccarelli.