Clarkstown North’s drama club, Cue and Curtain, amazed audiences on March 19th, 20th, and 21st for their annual spring musical with Guys and Dolls by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Directed by Mr. Reid, Guys and Dolls is a classic musical from the Golden Age of Broadway (1940s-60s) primarily set in New York City.
The show revolves around Nathan Detroit (Alec Burstein), who bets fellow gambler Sky Masterson (Aydin Bacharach) to take missionary Sarah Brown (Gabby Chazan) to go to Havana with him. Furthermore, throughout the show ‘Hot Box’ performer Miss Adelaide (Brianna Seigel) navigates her relationship with Mr. Detroit, who she was engaged to for 14 years, as well as his gambling addiction.
The set of Guys and Dolls at CHSN featured elaborate LED signs, a stunning New York Skyline, and a realistic mission building. The cast was costumed by Claudia Stefany and assisted by CHSN freshman Rebecca Sigerson. Finally, the show was accompanied by a fabulous pit orchestra directed by Fernando Cherubino.
“I hope that the audience can tell how much fun we’re having on stage and how much fun it was to create and put on the show,” Brianna Seigel, who played Miss Adelaide, remarked. “I hope they [the audience] feel all of that energy we bring to each run.”
“From our first readthrough, Adelaide was a very surface character,” Seigel continued. “I really enjoyed finding depth within her: where her sadness comes from and how she kind of hides it with her jokes.”
When asked what she wants the audience to remember from her time playing Sarah Brown, Cue and Curtain Treasurer Gabby Chazan responded, “The first time I sang by myself was during the song ‘I’ll Know,’ because I want to leave a strong impact on everybody.”
Chazan continued that the hardest part of her role was “trying to catch my castmates’ drift, pick up their energy, and find their groove.” Similar to Seigel, Chazan also recalled appreciating “watching the cast, crew, pit, and audience pick up each other’s vibes.”
“This show is not like the typical shows that I do,” said Aydin Bacharach, the vice president of Cue and Curtain, who played Sky Masterson. “I had to learn an entirely new vocal style: usually, I like to sing high, loud, and out, but for this show, it’s a lot of vibrato and classical tones. It just surpassed my expectations that the rest of my castmates and I were able to achieve this different style that we might not be used to.”
Although he is only a freshman, Kyrie Henry was cast to play the supporting role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson, in which he opened the show with “Fugue for the Tinhorns” and showcased his vocal powerhouse with the song “Sit Down You’re Rockin the Boat” in Act II.
When Henry was asked how the seniors have influenced him, Henry stated that “Georgia, Cas, and Alec have all been excellent influences on my ability to socialize with the club and get comfortable.”
“Going into the role I was expecting to just sing the ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin The Boat’ number, but, it’s been definitely more than that,” Henry said. “I’ve grown tremendously as an actor with this role and learned how to use my body and embrace a role.”
“Just make sure you’re making everyone in the club feel invited,” advised Alec Burstein, Cue and Curtain President, who played Nathan Detroit, when asked about what advice he would give to next years’ seniors. “Make everyone in the club feel warm; just know that the underclassmen are looking up to you and you want to be a positive role model.
“Over the past four years, this club has meant so much to me,” Burstein reflected. “It’s where a lot of my friendships at this school have come from, and it has given me a place of positivity.”
Beyond the cast, Taylor McAstocker, who served as the show’s stage manager for Guys and Dolls, will also graduate this year after three-years as Tech Director. “I’m super excited to be stage managing because I love being on crew, and the show is super fun,” McAstocker said. “I’m so proud of everybody; but, I’m also a little sad that this is the last time I’ll be able to work with this group of people.”
“My favorite part of Guys and Dolls is the song ‘Guys and Dolls’ because there’s a lot of really fun cues with the LED signs going up,” McAstocker continued. Although a bittersweet moment, McAstocker intends to continue studying Stage Management in college next year.
Overall, Cue and Curtain did a phenomenal job with its annual Spring Musical. Cue and Curtain will be putting on its final major event on May 1st: Java Jive – Clarkstown North’s annual coffeehouse. For information on how to participate, you can go to https://www.cueandcurtain.com.
