Everyone holds their breath as Sky Masterson rolls the dice one final time. For Sky, the stakes are high—he has promised each of over a dozen crapshooters $1,000 in cash if he loses. If he wins: the crapshooters attend the Save-a-Soul mission, and Sky wins back the favor of a woman he loves.
The stakes are high, but Sky is fortunate. As the song says, “Luck Be a Lady,” and she’s on his side tonight.
Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, students from Lexington High School presented their annual spring musical, Guys and Dolls, a 1950s romantic comedy written by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows with music by Frank Loesser.
This year’s production offered students a new perspective on classic theater performance. In contrast to previous years when productions have been more contemporary, Guys and Dolls is a golden-age Broadway musical from the 1950s.
“[That’s] definitely something that we’ve had to adapt to with accents, costumes, understanding the norms and societal customs,” Josh Agarwal, who played Joey Biltmore and a Save-a-Soul missionary, said.
Elements of Guys and Dolls, such as its portrayal of gambling and showgirl cultures and its use of a more jazz-centric musical score, made the production appeal to a wider audience.
“There are some jokes that I don’t think all of the cast understood, as it’s a pretty young group, but performing it, we would get laughs where I did not expect,” Anaya Joshi, who played Benny South Street, said. Joshi noted that this year’s musical “really [got] everyone involved” because it could be pitched to a more age-diverse audience.
The production featured more dancing than usual. The show’s dance numbers were completely original and co-choreographed by Carly Kalivas, the current director and producer of LHS’s musicals, together with LHS senior Ellie Larsen.
The pit orchestra for the musical was also on stage for the first time. Though student musicians typically sit below the stage, Kalivas noted that elevating them onto a platform behind the actors improved the sound balance between the orchestra and vocalists.
“It’s also cool to be incorporated into the set,” Toby Forman, the director of the pit orchestra, added. “It feels like we’re more part of the show than we ever have been.”
Following the production, four student actors qualified to audition for the National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA).
The NHSMTA, otherwise known as the Jimmy Awards, celebrates two high schoolers each year for excellence in the theater arts, which include vocals, dance, and acting. In Massachusetts, two finalists will be selected by the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) to attend a week-long intensive in New York City, where they will work with industry professionals and perform a showcase on Broadway for a panel of judges. LHS senior Aman Verma (Sky Masterson), junior Maggie Radcliffe (Miss Adelaide), and sophomores Diya Koul (Sarah Brown) and Guillaume Millot (Nicely-Nicely Johnson) qualified to audition for the statewide program held in Boston.
“The Jimmys are a big deal. They are potentially the Tony Awards for high school, and people who usually win the Jimmys go straight to Broadway,” Verma said.
This is the first year that LHS has signed up for the awards. During one night of the performance, adjudicators from METG came to the show and nominated eligible lead actors to qualify for auditions. The number of actors at LHS who qualified was a welcome surprise.
“Usually it’s only one or two people per school. It shows how great the Lexington performing arts program is,” Verma said.
The musical was a product of more than 100 students who acted; played an instrument (or multiple); designed the set, costumes, and props; or managed lighting and sound during the show. While four adults—Kalivas, Forman, Carlton Ward (the technical director), and Kimberly Robertson (the music director)—supervised the effort, the production was primarily student-led.
“My favorite part of any musical here is seeing the level of passion and commitment from so many different student artists from so many different artistic disciplines,” Forman said. “We’re all volunteers. Every student involved just wants to be here.”