Aspire Community Theatre ‘turns it up to 11’ with ‘Guys and Dolls’

When Aspire Community Theatre approached Thomas Gandy about directing a show in their 2024-25 season, they had a specific production in mind for him.

After looking at the season as a whole, Gandy told the theater “If you absolutely need me to, then yes I can, but if you’re asking what show I would rather do, I’d rather do ‘Guys and Dolls.’ ”

He had worked on the initial ask and “Guys and Dolls” in high school and knew he would have more fun with the latter. The style of the show was also more up his alley.

“My personality, my thought process, my style, the kind of theater that I like, ‘Guys and Dolls’ was more in my wheelhouse,” he said. “You add to that, my grandfather was an art director in film and TV for 48-plus years and worked on films like ‘South Pacific,’ so I have this love for old Hollywood as well. So, I wanted to bring a very cartoon-ish, campy old Hollywood vibe to the show.”

And for all its popularity – a Broadway production, plus three revivals, a West End production, plus five revivals, and a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine – Gandy thinks there are still many who are unfamiliar with the story, so he saw this production as a chance to make the classic musical exciting and relevant again.

Aspire’s production of “Guys and Dolls” opens Friday and runs through May 4 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene.

“Guys and Dolls” drops audience members into the hustle and bustle of New York City. Included in the crowd are three small-time gamblers – Nicely Nicely Johnson (Nick Lyons), Benny Southwest (James Wigdahl) and Rusty Charlie (Abel Siemens) – arguing over which horse will come first in a race.

It’s then that band members from the Save-a-Soul Mission, led by the pious Sarah Brown (Sarah Noble), pass by and call for Nicely, Benny and Rusty, sinners in their eyes, to repent.

Nicely and Benny work for Nathan Detroit (Jeffrey Parsons), who runs an illegal floating craps game. In need of a place to hold his games, as Lt. Brannigan (Jorge Vara) has a big presence in town, Nathan turns to Joey Biltmore and the “Biltmore garage.”

Joey requires a $1,000 security deposit, which Nathan doesn’t have. To get the money, Nathan schemes on a bet against Sky Masterson (Duncan Clark Menzies), betting him that he won’t be able to convince Sarah to go to dinner with him in Havana, Cuba. Sky, who is willing to take on nearly any bet, accepts.

Sky tries to offer Sarah a dozen sinners in exchange for dinner in Havana, but she turns him down. An argument about who they’ll fall in love with leads Sky to kiss Sarah, but she slaps him in return.

While Sky argues with Sarah, Nathan watches Miss Adelaide (Annabelle Brasch), his fiancée of 14 years, perform her nightclub act. After the show, she once again proposes to Nathan before learning that he is still running his craps games and kicking him out.

The next day, General Cartwright (Jessica Jameson), head of Save-a-Soul, visits Sarah’s mission and informs her that she will be forced to close the location if Sarah is unable to bring sinners to an upcoming meeting. With the looming closure hanging over her head, Sarah accepts Sky’s offer of sinners in exchange for dinner in Havana.

Meanwhile, Lt. Brannigan finds a group of gamblers waiting for Nathan’s craps games. He’s suspicious, but eventually carries on after the gamblers say they’re preparing Nathan’s surprise bachelor party. Nathan then sees no other option than to elope with Adelaide, much to her delight.

After a series of misunderstandings, both couples are left to figure out if they can, or should, fight for the one they love.

“Guys and Dolls” also stars Larry Starrh (Big Jule), Brent Starrh (Harry the Horse), Collin Thompson (Angie the Ox/Calvin), Doug Hawk (Uncle Arvide Abernathy), Genny Sherard (Agatha), Mickaylea “Kiki” David and Shana Starrh (Salvation Army), and Ian Sadler and Jack Jillson (crapshooters).

Makayla Kaufman, Ashley Cleveland, Aubrey Babbitt, Ciara McKinzie, Juliet Hunt and Lucia Peterson are Hot Box Dancers.

“Guys and Dolls” is music directed by Presley Dupuis, choreographed by Paisley Siemens and stage managed by Bridget Dupuis. The orchestra features Dupios (conductor/piano), Sheila McCallum (reed), Craig Catlett (reed 2), John Gardner (trumpet), Chris Poole (trombone), Dave Turner (bass), Chance Turnbull (percussion) and Brooke Bos (violin).

The musical features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It’s based on Damon Runyon’s “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure” and also borrows elements from other Runyon stories.

After reviewing different productions of “Guys and Dolls,” Gandy decided to make New York City the star of the show, building a city street onstage. The other locations will be shown via set pieces which are brought on and off stage, as well as lighting effects that help show the change in time from day to night and sound effects, like dripping water during sewer scenes, to let audiences know where the action is taking place.

He also came to the conclusion that the characters live in a comic strip of sorts, which allowed him to make his production cartoony and campy.

“(I told) the actors ‘Whatever the line is, whatever the song is, whatever the dances are, turn it up to 11,” he said. “Enjoy the fact that you can play with the tropes and play with these thick accents. I told the actors in our very first rehearsal ‘None of these are real people. None of these people have ever breathed a real day in their life. They only exist in the comic books, and we should pay tribute to it.’ ”

While some actors talked with Gandy about their character’s motivations , others took to the direction “go for the gag.” “Sue Me,” a song between Adelaide and Nathan, for example, turned from duet to dispute after Gandy told the actors to argue, not sing.

The production also features a repeated gag from Lyons, Wigdahl and Siemens, who play Nicely, Benny and Rusty, respectively. Initially a one-time thing, Gandy realized the joke should be repeated a few more times. The only direction he gave the trio was to simply find three more places it would work.

“Working with those kinds of people, they make it easy,” he said.

Gandy made it clear that though there was a lot of creative freedom, the campy choices didn’t supersede classic Runyon elements, including that he doesn’t write with contractions.

Choices also had to be made from a place of love, not ridicule, for old acting and theater.

“I said ‘As long as we’re staying within the period and we’re staying within the region and we’re staying within the framework of Damon Runyon’s characters that he wrote, then let’s play,’ ” Gandy said.