Musical week has finally arrived in Castlerea for 2016, with "Guys and Dolls" in the final stages of preparation for Wednesday night's opening. The cast, crew and production team have been hard at work all winter, getting ready to bring Manhattan's gangsters, and their molls, to life!
"Guys and Dolls" is a musical romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary, a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but. Set in the Manhattan of Damon Runyon's short stories, "Guys and Dolls" tells of con-man Nathan Detroit's efforts to find new life for his illegal, but notorious, crap game. When their trusty venue is found out by the police, Nathan has to find a new home for his crap game quickly - but he doesn't have the dough to secure the one location he finds. Enter Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to take on any honest bet with a high enough reward attached. Nathan bets Sky that he can't take the "doll" of Nathan's choosing to Havana, Cuba with him on a date. When Sky agrees to the bet, Nathan chooses uptight Evangelist Sergeant Sarah Brown, head of Broadway's Save-a-Soul Mission! "Guys and Dolls" features some of Frank Loesser's most memorable tunes, including "Adelaide's Lament", "A Bushel and a Peck" and the classic "Luck be a Lady".
"Guys and Dolls" will be presented by Castlerea Musical Society in The Hub, Castlerea for four nights, from Wednesday 10th to Saturday 14th, starting at 8pm each night. The character roles will be performed by...
| Nathan Detroit: | Kieran Croghan |
| Sarah Brown: | Julie Heaney |
| Adelaide: | Emer Kelly |
| Sky Masterson: | Niall Heaney |
| Nicely-Nicely Johnson: | David Cooke |
| Benny Southstreet: | Pat Walshe |
| Rusty Charlie: | Joey O'Flanagan |
| Arvide Abernathy: | Eugene Collins |
| Big Jule: | Chris Duffy |
| Harry The Horse: | Ivan Moran |
| General Cartwright: | Frances Cooke |
| Detective Brannigan: | John Griffin |
| Agatha: | Louise Kelliher |
| Mimi: | Michelle Cooke |
| Angie The Ox | Aidan Flanagan |
| Joey Biltmore: | John Callaghan |
...who will be supported by the chorus of Castlerea Musical Society, which features many new members, along with a few familiar faces! "Guys and Dolls" is directed by Colin Hughes, with musical direction by Shane Farrell, choreography by Trisha McDermott, set design by John O'Donoghue, set construction by Kevin Heaney and stage management by Noel Kelly.
The booking line, 087-4676475 is available from 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm daily. A concession price of €12 is available for students and OAPs on Wednesday night. Tickets cost €16 for all audience members on all other nights.