KINGSTON, R.I. – April 11, 2025 – Songs like “Luck Be a Lady” crooned by Frank Sinatra, “Bushel and a Peck” sung by your grandmother, or “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” that found its way into popular modern television shows (see It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are so embedded in American culture, they’ve transcended their source material. However, that fact does not deter from the ardent love Guys and Dolls has inspired for the last seven and a half decades.

The University of Rhode Island Theatre Department presents the classic American musical for the first time on campus, in tandem with celebrating its 75th anniversary. Guys and Dolls, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, first premiered on Broadway in 1950 and quickly became one of the most beloved musicals of its time. 

“It is one of the most award-winning musicals of all time. We have an incredible team on that show. This is the only play to be put on in the Will Theatre this season to match the vastness and largess of a brilliant show like Guys and Dolls. Americana – that’s what it is,” said Paula McGlasson, chair of the Theatre Department.

The show is known for its catchy score, vibrant characters, and engaging storyline that blends romance, humor, and high-stakes drama. The story follows the intertwining stories of gamblers and the women they love, set in Depression-era Times Square, focusing on Sky Masterson (Ethan Clarke), who falls for Sarah Brown (Eva St-Germain), and Nathan Detroit (Brandon Tallardy), who is trying to find a place for his craps game while struggling with his long-term engagement to Miss Adelaide (Abbey Pezza).

Directed by Jimmy Calitri, a professor of theatre at Providence College, this production will take place in the 1950s, a period beautifully accented by David T. Howard’s meticulous costume design.

“My approach is to engage with the time (around 1951) as best as we can through costumes. It’s my attempt to try to capture the essence of 1950s urban America while adding a little bit of nostalgia and a little bit of fantasy,” said Howard. “Honestly, you can’t put everyone in black double breasted pinstripe suits and fedoras. The colors we’re using are a little bit brighter; patterns a little bit broader. The characters are larger than life and so the world must mirror that.”

With Calitri in the director’s seat, Dante Sciarra as choreographer, and alumna Emily Turtle ‘19, as musical director, the production has been nothing but filled with joy. The symbiotic relationship between these roles is imperative for a show of this size to succeed. 

“We joke because the three of us get along so well. Whenever somebody has an idea, we’re all in; the one who proposed the idea sometimes asks us to fight back, but oftentimes we genuinely agree and will only fight back on something if we really mean it. Not only do we like each other, but we trust each other’s work ethic and experience and knowledge,” said Calitri 

The entire production takes place on New York City streets, alleyways, nightclubs, and sewers. This setting is realized by scenic designer James Horban, who taps into an abstract and impressionistic style. On the first day of production, Horban filled a table with images of paintings and closeups of architecture that evoked a specific mood or implied a bustling city.

“He had this one impressionist painting that was the very first one I picked, and James said that was the original image he based everything on. I saw all of those colors and abstract skyscrapers, but I also didn’t want it to be super real. I wanted to have anchor pieces like the newsstand or telephone booth, and some really good lighting,” explained Calitri.

Traditionally, the show would have over 40 people in the cast, an ensemble for the mission band and a separate one for the gangsters, dancers, and singers. This production only has 24 actors, with four leads and other supporting roles. The ensemble is tasked with multiple costume changes, maintaining several different characters, and pages of blocking. It undoubtedly requires a unique level of athleticism and teamwork to pull off effectively. 

First-year student Max Hunter plays the supporting role of Nicely Nicely Johnson, a cheerful, loyal, and naive gambler who serves as Nathan’s right-hand-man. Hunter also starred as Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher earlier this year and is eager to work with a variety of directors. 

“Jimmy’s got a great artistic mind and he really allows us to have the freedom to try things on stage while also still touching on the elements that people are going to expect from an ‘old timey’ musical like Guys and Dolls,” said Hunter. 

Calitri is no stranger to a big, broad musical. His experience with large-scale musical productions like Singing in the Rain, Something Rotten, Seussical, and Shrek have undoubtedly influenced his work on this American classic. What makes his approach particularly unique is the intersection of his talents for sweeping musicals combined with his masters degree in social justice theatre. This cocktail of introspective and actionable activism that informs a piece of art and the fanfare of Americana musicals elevates a production that could otherwise feel a bit surface level. 

While the nostalgia of Guys and Dolls is an easy form of escapism for the average theatre-goer, there’s a complexity to the text that this creative team was able to bring to the surface. Specifically, there were lengthy conversations about women and how they were treated in the 1950s.  During table work, transfer student Abbey Pezza, who plays Miss Adelaide, noticed how the women are actually the beating heart of this story. 

“They have agency,” Pezza said, “It’s not just the women following men around and responding to their actions. Sarah is kind of the moral compass of the show. Miss Adelaide knows what she wants and isn’t willing to put up with anything less. We talked about how societal gender norms are placed on us, and it’s so hard to break out of those shells because it’s what society has been telling us for hundreds of years. And sometimes it can be very uncomfortable, and it can be hard for you as a person to be vulnerable because you feel like you’re going against what you’ve been taught.”

While there are a number of themes in this show, perhaps the most important one is simply, love. It is clear that love is being celebrated onstage, but also in the rehearsal room. For a show of this magnitude, copious amounts of love must be poured in for the audience to genuinely receive it. The vibrancy of the music, the whimsy of the costumes, the heart and vulnerability of building these characters amount to something truly special. 

“This particular show, I’ve never directed and most of the team hasn’t done, which, to me, is a really great thing that we get to do this really big iconic show that is 75 years old on the anniversary and it’s kind of fresh for everybody–which is very rare,” said Calitri. 

“Guys and Dolls” runs April 17-19 and 23-26 at 7:30 p.m. and April 27 at 2 p.m. in the Robert E. Will Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $18 for senior citizens and URI students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online at www.uri.edu/theatre, by calling (401) 874-5843 or at the box office in Room 101H of the Fine Arts Center.

Creative Team
Director, Jimmy Calitri
Costume Designer, David Howard
Scenic Designer, James Horban
Sound Designer, Michael Hyde
Choreographer, Dante Sciarra
Musical Director, Emily Turtle

Guys and Dolls cast
Isaiah Agabi (Benny Bottle Bates, Caluin, Ensemble)
Aliza Almonte (Hot Box Girl, Ensemble)
Skyler Bobinski (Scanton Slim, Dance Captain)
Ethan Clarke (Sky Masterson)
Caroline Cronin (Ensemble, U/S Sarah)
Noah Dukat (Angie the Ox)
Joey Fortune (Hot Box Girl, Agatha, U/S Adelaide
Terrance Fry Jr. (Pocket Watch Paulie)
Vincent Grippo Jr. (Big Jule)
Max Hunter (Nicely Nicely Johnson)
Princess Johnson (Hot Box Girl, Main)
Ella Kenny (Martha, Hot Box Girl, Dance Captain)
Dylan Lang (Harry the Horse)
Sydney Nogueira (General Cartwright)
Abbey Pezza (Miss Adelaide)
Jeremy Rodriguez (Ensemble)
David Santana (Rusty Charlie)
Cecilia Savage (Hot Box Girl, Dancer)
Christopher Scarpa (Lt. Brannigan, Joey Biltmore)
Eva St-Germain (Sarah Brown)
Cole Stanley (Benny Southstreet)
Brandon Tallardy (Nathan Detroit)
Eric Towne (Arvide Abernathy)
Chaya Valentine (Hot Box Girl)

This press release was written by Paige Monopoli, communications coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences.