Cappies Review: South County's 'Guys and Dolls'

• PHOTO (from left to right): Craig Allison, Nick Ferlazzo, Joe Bright; photo by Shelley Seabolt
• By Blake Johnson of Northwood High School

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- It wasn't a gamble to watch South County High School's excellent production of Guys and Dolls.

Guys and Dolls is a Tony award winning musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It premiered on Broadway in 1950 and won a Tony for Best Musical in 1951 and had a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

South County has a large theatre department, and all of the cast and crew worked together to bring energy and excitement into the production.

Miss Adelaide is well known for sounding nasal and annoying, and Samantha Sharett conveyed those qualities perfectly in her performance. Sharrett had a wide emotional range and managed to stay in character while singing. Clearly committed to the role, Sharrett's dancing was fun and energetic, exactly as Adelaide is meant to be depicted, and her projection was wonderful, even with her microphone.

Guys and Dolls is an ensemble-heavy show, with four leads and few supporting roles. The Crapshooters ensemble was a joy to behold. Despite not all having lines, each ensemble member exuded a distinct personality. Joe Bright stood out as Nathan's accomplice Nicely-Nicely Johnson. In Bright's solo song, "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat," he sang well and energetically.

While the sets were fairly simple, they worked well for the production and did not distract from the story. The tech crew stayed on their cues and had extremely smooth scene changes, even if the curtains got stuck once. Every character who spoke had a microphone, which was impressive. While the microphones went in and out at times, the actors reacted by projecting more so the audience could hear them.

Luck was certainly a lady for anyone who had the pleasure to see South County High School's fun production of Guys and Dolls.