PCU Talkback is a new segment dedicated to local, regional and national theatre.

 

The Chambersburg Community Theatre celebrates its 61^st season at one of the most historic playhouses in Pennsylvania, the Capitol Theatre. Their 2014-2015 season concludes with Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows Broadway classic Guys and Dolls.

Director and Choreographer Kelly Kozlowski brings one of Broadways most iconic musicals to the stage which tells the tale of 1930’s New York, where guys are always looking for an angle and a piece of the action and their Dolls are always left waiting for them. Nathan Detroit is a small time promoter who runs an illegal craps game. To keep the police off track, he changes the venue every game but Lieutenant Brannigan always seems to turn up at every corner. To complicate things even more, Detroit’s fiancé Miss Adelaide has lost patience with their 14 year engagement and with his gambling ways. Nathan has a lead on a location for his next floating crap game but requires a cool grand to secure it. As luck would have it, legendary gambler Sky Masterson is in town. Sky loves to bet on anything and everything so Nathan poses a bet that he thinks he can’t lose. A thousand dollar bet is placed that Sky can’t persuade the local mission leader, Sister Sarah Brown, to accompany him on a whirlwind dinner to Havana. Masterson can’t resist but soon finds that he bet more than he bargained for when he finds himself falling hard for the good Sister. When the Mission is threatened, he must take a chance that luck will be a lady one more time for him to save the Mission and win his Doll.

Mathew Barninger is a delight in the role of Sky Masterson with his acting ability coupled with his superior singing talent. He brings an easy suaveness to Sky. Barninger flawlessly portrays both the aloofness to his fellow gamblers and the burgeoning love for his mission doll Sarah. A long time veteran of local theatre, Barninger is coming off a run in Gettysburg Community Theatre’s production of The Children of Eden and was a lead in last year’s The Civil War. Stephanie Allee, who is a member of CCT’s board of directors, lights up the stage in her portrayal of Sister Sarah. When doing duets or solos, her voice creates pure magic. There is definite “chemistry” on stage between Barnigner and Allee, they are both cast perfectly for the roles. Christopher Cook and Rachel Kern deliver solid performances in the roles of Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide and the ensemble does a masterful job. For me the show was absolutely stolen however by Lee R. Merriman and Patrick McNamee as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet respectively. They instill humor, expression, and tremendous character play from the opening number of Fugue for Tinhorns to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat. Valerie Merriman’s direction of Frank Loesser’s music and lyrics is masterful as her arrangements stay true to one of theatres most loved scores.

Community theatre is about love. Love of the craft, love of the stage, and love of the cheers. The actors, stage workers and musicians are unpaid and many times spend their own money on costumes and set design in order to bring Broadway’s best to those who might never have the opportunity to witness the Great White Way in person. Community theatres continue only by patrons and donations from the local community. I encourage my readers to support your local arts so that young to old can continue to do what they love.

4 of 5 Dice

Reviewer: Paul A. DiNello

Photography credit: Jonathan Carbaugh