Croton Falls Restauranteur; Yorktown Resident Cast in Guys and Dolls

Croton Falls Restauranteur Jim Stake*, co-owner of Croton Creek Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Croton Falls, plays Nicely-Nicely Johnson, the niciest and cheeriest of the gambling crooks, in this summer’s Mount Pleasant Community Theater (MPCT) production of “Guys and Dolls.” Yorktown resident Chris Jamison plays Arvide Abernathy, the grandmother of the female lead and member of the Mission band. *appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity

Stake returns to a role which he first performed 37 years ago at Valhalla High School. He worked on the daytime soap “All My Children” from 1982-1988. Film credits include “Working Girl,” “Brewster’s Millions” and “The Fisher King.” In theater, Stake toured nationally in “Grease” and in “Peter Duchin’s Broadway.” He and his partner, Liam, own the award-winning Croton Creek Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Croton Falls.

Jamison was last seen by MPCT audiences as Golde in “Fiddler on the Roof, “ in Summer 2013, playing opposite Tom Ammirator of Mt. Kisco, who this year plays the male lead of Sky Masterson. She has played more than 30 roles with MPCT of which she is an original founding member; and also was a professional actress/singer/dancer for more than 30 years. Broadway credits include The Star To Be in original “Annie,” and the female swing in the 25th anniversary production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” working with Jerome Robbins. When not on stage, Jamison is an executive assistant at GE Capital Treasury in Stamford, CT.

The show will be presented on July 31 and August 1, 7 and 8 at 8 pm, August 2 at 2 pm and August 6 at 7:30 pm in the John Whearty Theater at Westlake High School, 825 Westlake Drive in Thornwood, NY. Tickets can be ordered on-line at www.mpctshows.com. Please call 914-769-0958 or 914-773-9171 or e-mail mpctshows@gmail.com for further information.

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

. Robyn O’Brien of Eastchester as Sarah Brown

. Richie Murden of Pleasantville as Nathan Detroit

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

· Frank Accosta of Elmsford as Benny Southstreet

. John Wright of Hawthorne as Rusty Charlie

. Claudia Torzilli of Hawthorne as General Cartwright

· Chuck Buchanan of White Plains as Lt. Brannigan

. Gary Simon of Cortlandt Manor as Harry the Horse , and

· Mark Firestone of Cold Spring as Big Jule

Guys and Dolls, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, depicts colorful gangsters, gamblers and other characters of the New York underworld, based on stories by Damon Runyon. The premiere on Broadway was in 1950. It ran for 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation 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