We all have vices. For some it’s gambling, and for others, it’s falling in love with the “wrong” guy. He’s a gambler. She’s a missionary. Fate brings them together in bustling New York as the suave Sky Masterson and pious Sarah Brown collide paths in three whirlwind nights filled with bets, love, and unexpected trips to Havana, accompanied by madly in love Adeline and her roguish fiancé, Nathan Detroit. Based on Damon Runyon’s short story, “Idyll Life of Miss Sarah Brown”, which premiered on Broadway in 1950, Damascus’s “Guys and Dolls” is an adaptation that will not disappoint.
With the show only a month away at the end of February, the Damascus Drama Club and members of the pit and crew are bustling to prepare for the highlight of the spring season. Onstage, the production’s cast is running scenes, singing, and preparing the complex dance sequences. Meanwhile, offstage, the tech crew is getting ready for the show building and painting sets, figuring out ways to make their sets moveable, and making sure they fit the scenes. Additionally, the pit orchestra is getting ready to accompany the show with live music as the members practice the songs.
A look behind the scenes of “Guys and Dolls” reveals an extraordinary cast, crew, and pit—starring Khushi Kapoor, Nicholas Ramirez, Madison Wright, David King Landrith Jr, Lilly Tran, Kyle Li, and more amazing members of the show.
One of the main cast members, Khushi Kapoor, reveals her thoughts on her role as Sergeant Sarah Brown. Now a senior, Kapoor has been doing Damascus Drama since freshman year and has been in 10 shows. This year is particularly exciting, as this is her first major lead role. Kapoor states, “I’m used to having lines, but now having multiple songs is a new thing. And having a ‘romantic’ role. It’s something I’ve never done before.” It seems that playing Sergeant Brown comes easy to Kapoor, who says “She feels a lot like me. I’m a very self-righteous person, not like it’s too much, but I prefer doing the right thing, even if it takes all my effort and energy. I also enjoy playing a character who is female and young. I didn’t mind playing a guy [in freshman year], considering that my first musical role was as a guy, but he was old, and then my next musical role was an old lady. So it’s finally pretty enjoyable playing a young lady.” Kapoor’s favorite part of the show and playing Brown is the songs she sings, which she deems as “truly beautiful and melodious.” Despite this, this role is not flawless, as Kapoor expresses her distaste for Brown’s “super high” singing, which is “kinda hard to do.”
Another lead of the show, Nicholas Ramirez gave his thoughts on the role and show. Ramirez, who is playing the role of Sky Masterson, a gambler known for his Sky high bets, has been on the Damascus stage since freshman year and has been a part of 13 shows. He says that Sky is unlike characters he has played before. “[Sky] is much more suave, straightforward, and very articulate. A lot of my previous roles have been upbeat and more of the funny character but with Sky I get to play the silent but sweet character.” He expressexs that his favorite part of the show is the “amount of dancing involved. As someone who’s done theater for 10 years, I’ve always been fond of the dancing aspect.”
Senior Madison Wright, who plays Adelaide, shares that “My current role compared to my past ones is very different, so far I’ve only played in ensemble/featured ensembles or trios (background singers) so having a lead role in the show is gonna be fun to experience!” When asked about her favorite part of her character, Wright told us that “[her] part about [her] character is that she’s sorta ditzy, she’s just overall a really lovable character (even if she’s kind of clueless and sneezes a lot) she’s really fun to play because of that.” and later on added that she loves “her high-pitched New York accent.” Wright has been doing Damascus Drama since freshman year.
Junior David King Landrith Jr., who has been doing Damascus Drama for the past two years, shared his thou
ghts on his character as Nathan Detroit. He expressed that Nathan is different from his past roles, saying “I feel I’m actually playing someone distinct from myself, most roles I’ve had feel like I can get away with being myself.” Along with that, when asked about his favorite part about his role and show, he shared that “It gives me a chance to train my acting and singing muscles. Also, the community is amazing.”
Off-stage, Tech is in charge of creating, building, and painting all the sets, along with running them on and off stage. “Guys and Dolls” require a variety of sets, to make the experience as immersive as possible so a lot of work is put in to make the sets that capture the glistening New York City skyline, the iconic Broadway street, church pews for the song “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”, and other key scenes of the story. Along with making the set, Tech needs to ensure that everything runs smoothly for set changes for a quick and seamless transition of scenes. As the show dates draw nearer, tech will begin to prepare the lighting and sounds for the show.
Damascus High School is one of the few schools in the area that utilizes a live orchestra to accompany their performance. While most other schools use a prerecorded music track for their performance, students across the band and orchestra work alongside the cast and crew to provide an extra layer of immersion and depth to the performance. One such student is Kyle Li, a violinist who’s been playing violin for five years. This is his first year participating in the pit orchestra and he says that while he doesn’t have a favorite part of the pit yet he feels that it’s “tiring but gives me a challenge,” saying that, “it’s like my first time in a while I actually have to practice Dr. D’s song. Yeah, I never practiced the Saint Cecilia music sheet.” When asked why he felt that this music was more difficult than what he played in class or even at the youth orchestra, he replied, “The tempo, the tempo. Yeah, it’s soft and light”. The music in “Guys and Dolls” is very fast-paced making it more of a challenging set of music to learn and perform. However, Li is excited about the musical and the performance saying “ I’m like, pretty excited. I’m looking forward to it.”
Senior Lilly Tran, another violinist who has been playing for over eight years, expresses her excitement over the opportunity of being able to play in the pit for the first time. “I’ve been wanting to be part of the pit orchestra since my junior year,” Tran states, “but unfortunately, last year, none of the music parts were written for strings so I was unable to participate.” Her excitement doesn’t stop at just the pit; she is thrilled about the show. She describes her love for musical theater and how being a “part of something that has always filled me with awe is really exciting.” She hopes people will come and enjoy “Guys and Dolls,” as well as acknowledge all the hard work that goes into the show, through meticulous planning and perseverance. Her favorite part of playing in the pit is being able to play with her friends and learning music outside of class, but playing an instrument doesn’t come without challenges. Tran finds that the “music for [the pit] is very different from the style we typically play in class.” Furthermore, she states that the most challenging part is “learning and sight-reading the music. The key signature is one that isn’t typically played on strings and has made it very difficult to play. Additionally, the music is very fast and in cut time so it can make it hard to keep up and play with the music. But overall it’s been really fun, just a big challenge and learning curve. But I’m excited to continue working to improve myself.”
When asked if they could give a teaser about the show, all the interviewees had to say were: “I think that audiences are in for a treat with the talent and new faces that they are getting given to them Drama club is all about letting seniors go on to do amazing things and barging new members in to continue the legacy, this year we have an amazing cast that strives to work hard and work together and I think people who come see the show will truly see the talent and the passion we as a community have” shared Ramirez. Kapoor said, “It’s gonna be such a fun and inviting musical for all ages, with lots of new and talented faces, and lots of singing and dancing and lights. Imagine NYC and Broadway; that’s our end goal for its aesthetic. It’s also introducing a classic Broadway musical for younger audiences. They’re in for a treat!” Wright shared, “Expect there to be lots of lights… sights, (we are in NYC of course) sounds, danding & a lot of commotion. (And lots of New York accents).” To end with a final note, Landrith said, “Unfortunately I can’t and if you don’t like that answer, then Sue Me.” (pun intended)
