Many Guys, Strong Dolls

Students who participate in high school musicals likely would tell you that the casts usually lack men. 

Especially in the high-school crowd, audiences typically see female leads and ensembles overwhelm the stage, while a few boys dance just out of reach of the limelight. "Guys and Dolls," however, is a musical where boys' roles command center stage. 

The show, which premiered last Friday, is one of 16 that Sewickley Academy's Summer Theater Peforming Arts Camp is putting on this summer. 

While Adelaide (Veronica Vento) shone with a perfected accent and obvious comfort in her character, the boys made the show their own.

Nathan Detroit, played by graduate John Falconi, led the ensemble of New York City gamblers in numbers such as "Luck Be a Lady."

Sky Masterson (Joseph Patrick) was second-in-command with a winning voice and convincing stage presence, wooing Sister Sarah with "I've Never Been in Love Before." 

Every summer, PAC splits their actors into four groups (ranging from grades 2 to 12), with each group presenting  two musicals and two plays. The students rehearse and perform the musicals for their family and community.

Other plays on the summer schedule include "The Boy Friend" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." 

It is difficult not to expect a sort of conveyer-belt display of one show after another, but "Guys and Dolls" proved that talent excels in one show at a time.  

"There were a lot more guys this year," Falconi said. "But it's the amount of companionship and teamwork in the show that helps to make the show a blast." 

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For more information on Summer Theater PAC and how to get involved next summer, click here.