Local Dentist Moonlights in Guys and Dolls

Cortlandt Manor resident Gary Simon (on left in photo) appears as crook and gambler Harry the Horse in the Mount Pleasant Community theater production of “Guys and Dolls” to be presented in July and August at Westlake High School in Thornwood.

Simon’s theatrical resume includes many shows at MPCT, Malrose, Hand-to-Mouth Players, The Playwright/Director’s Workshop, Fort Hill Players and Greenville Community Theater. When not on stage, Gary is proud father to collegians Addison and Scott, treasurer for The Hand-to-Mouth Players, and dentist to the stars in Cortlandt Manor.

Tom Ammirato of Mt. Kisco stars as Sky Masterson with Robyn O’Brien of Eastchester as his love interest Sarah Brown. Local audiences may remember Tom as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” in Summer 2013.

Other cast members in the show, directed and choreographed by Rose Cremonese-Norton, include:

. Richie Murden of Pleasantville as Nathan Detroit

· Rae West of Salem, VA, Cremonese-Norton’s daughter-in-law, as Miss Adelaide

. Jim Stake* of Bedford Hills as Nicely-Nicely Johnson *appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity

· Frank Accosta of Elmsford as Benny Southstreet

. John Wright of Hawthorne as Rusty Charlie

. Claudia Torzilli of Hawthorne as General Curtis

· Chuck Buchanan of White Plains as Lt. Brannigan, and

· Mark Firestone of Cold Spring as Big Jule

“Guys and Dolls” will be presented on July 31, August 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 in the John Whearty Theater at Westlake High located at 825 Westlake Drive in Thornwood, NY. Friday and Saturday night performances are at 8 pm, Sunday matinee at 2 pm, Thurs. night performance at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be ordered on-line at www.mpctshows.com. For further information, please call (914) 773-9171 or (914) 769-0958 or email mpctshows@gmail.com.

“Guys and Dolls”, the 45th performance by the Mt. Pleasant group since its founding in 1970, has music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The musical, revolves around Sky, a high stakes gambler whose luck never seems to run out, and his romance with Sarah, a Sergeant of the local mission, and a colorful group of gangsters, gamblers and other characters of the New York underworld. Based on stories by Damon Runyon, the show ran 1,200 performances when originally presented on Broadway, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. It has enjoyed several revivals, as well as being made into a film starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

About Mount Pleasant Community Theater

Mount Pleasant Community Theater was founded in the summer of 1970 by Cremonese-Norton, owner of Rose’s School of Dance in Hawthorne, NY. Support has been provided by the community, including the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Department and the Thornwood/Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce. This year, the theater group has established a “Go Fund” to defray the cost of costumes. Any and all donations are much appreciated. The link is gofund.me/mpct_costume_fund