March 12, 2009

Guys and Dolls

Talented Castillero cast rocks the house

By Shana McLean Moore
Staff Writer

Luck may have a lot to do with winning craps, but when it comes to putting on a heck of a show, the students, teachers and parent volunteers of Castillero Middle School know their success can only be earned through dedication and good, old-fashioned hard work.

Jamie Landrum as Adelaide sings and dances with the Hot Box dancers to “Bushel and a Peck.” Photos by Shana Moore

And work they did for this year’s production of “Guys and Dolls.” Directed by drama teacher and creative dynamo Sharol Felch and organized by the resourceful and upbeat production manager Diane Zlotziver, the cast of 51 students and an even larger pool of volunteer parents and grandparents have spent an estimated 2,000 hours transforming the school’s Black Box Theatre into 1940s New York.

“Guys and Dolls,” a classic Broadway musical, centers around a host of colorful characters. There’s Sarah Brown, the morally upright and uptight missionary who is determined to convert the sinners who inhabit Times Square; Sky Masterson, the smooth high-roller who sets his sights on making Sarah his girlfriend to win a bet; Adelaide, the campy nightclub singer with a chronic cold brought on by her commitment-phobic boyfriend’s reluctance to marry; and Nathan Detroit, Adelaide’s beleaguered fiancé who is in desperate search of the next crap game.

Drama and hilarity ensue as the characters take the audience from Times Square to Havana and back to the sewers of underground New York while singing well known favorites like: “Luck Be a Lady,” “Take Back Your Mink” and “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat.”

The effective portrayal of the journey wouldn’t have been possible without a talented design crew that created six sets for the production that rival the creativity and artistic hand of a professional production. Michelle Smeulders, the lead artistic talent of the design team, devoted countless hours of her time and talent, despite the fact that she doesn’t even have a child participating this year.

The same is true for Kelli McElravy, who became involved with the yearly musical production when her daughter Carissa participated in the program. Two years after her daughter’s graduation, McElravy still volunteers her time to choreograph the show.

“Every year I think there is no way we can top last year’s show, but somehow every year we do. This year is no exception—it’s an amazing show with outstanding talent. I am especially proud of all the dancers,” McElravy said.

There was no shortage of help from the parents of current advanced drama students, either. Kathryn Veregge, mother of seventh grader Molly who plays Sarah Brown in the show, shared her musical talents by coaching the students in vocal training, while Keri Landrum stayed in the background and coordinated volunteers in everything from staffing the concession stand and selling tickets to organizing construction schedules and feeding the students when rehearsals ran late. Jim Wolk led the construction crew while lead seamstresses Kristin Salah and Christine Noordam organized a team to make, rent and assemble 115 costumes.

Actors and crewmembers relax between scenes during the dress rehearsal. From the left are Brandon Cruz, Brian Clark, Jake Dessau and Stevie Colombo.

Parent volunteer Tracey DiLeo-nardo, mom of sixth grader Danica, was new to the Castillero program. “As a parent who has been involved with the professionalism of Children’s Musical Theatre productions for the last five years, I am so amazed by the high quality of this production. From the talented kids to the committed parent volunteers, and devotion of the instructors, this production operates like a real theater company,” DiLeonardo said.

As the cast looks toward opening night this Thursday, the first-time leads are feeling equal parts nerves and excitement. “This is pretty fun. It’s been more work than I thought, but it is thrilling to act and sing to entertain an audience,” said Brandon Cruz, who along with fellow eighth grader Ryan Ballard will be playing Sky Masterson in one of the two casts of the show.

Rachel Gracey, who shares the role of Sarah Brown with seventh grader Molly Veregge, is new to leading role status. With only two vocal lessons under her belt, Gracey has impressed the audiences who have previewed the show with her natural vocal talent. “I am really excited, but I am also really nervous. I definitely want to be in more plays after this experience,” Gracey said.

Even the students cast in smaller roles are enjoying the experience. Eighth grader Jake Dessau, who had a leading role in last year’s “Seussical,” finds his role in the ensemble to be “kind of interesting after being a main person last year. It’s cool—I see things from a different perspective,” Dessau said. Word has it, though, that there’s nothing background about Dessau, who is a scene-stealer no matter where he is cast.

Fellow ensemble member Brian Clark summed up the experience best when he said: “With rehearsals, I haven’t had a free afternoon in a couple of months, but I am having a blast in this magical show.”

The “magic” Clark refers to isn’t the kind that falls out of thin air like a seven in the first roll of the dice in a craps game. Instead, it is the kind of magic that happens when a large group of people gather around a common cause and get the chance to watch it all come together to the delight of performers, instructors, volunteers and audiences alike.

Castillero students will perform their magic for six nights on Thursday, March 12 and 19; Friday March 13 and 20 and Saturday, March 14 and 21, all at 7:30 p.m. at Castillero’s Black Box Theater, 6384 Leyland Park Drive. Tickets, which cost $10 per adult and $7 for students, will be available at the door. For more information, call (408) 535-6385.