By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
When you see a guy reach for stars in the sky
You can bet that he’s doing it for some doll.
For the last week or so, the sounds of one of Broadway’s most storied musicals have been echoing inside the Trager Family JCC’s Shapira Family Auditorium. Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide, Sky Masterson and Sister Sarah Brown, Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Harry the Horse – and bevy of likewise Damon Runyonesque stablemates traipsing through Guys and Dolls, which CenterStage is offering as its 2026-27 season opener.
It’s fitting that the show is being presented as a Classics-in-Concert piece – where a full, 16-piece orchestra sits squarely up on stage – because few works belong more firmly to the so-called Golden Age of Broadway musical theater. First produced in 1950 – with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, a book by Abe Burrows and choreography by Michael Kidd – the original cast featured Sam Levene, Vivian Blane, Robert Alda, Isabel Bigley, and the incomparable Stubby Kaye.
Blane’s Miss Adelaide and Kaye’s Nicely-Nicely made it to the uneven 1955 screen version that starred Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons, and it’s this iteration that most people associate with the musical (not including anyone fortunate enough to catch the blockbuster 1992 Broadway revival starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince). But whether on stage or on screen, from the biggest Broadway production to the most modest high school presentation, Guys and Dolls is a show to sing, shout, and altogether savor.
Recently we caught up with three mainstays of the current CenterStage production: Director Erin Silliman, Music Director and Conductor Adam Thomas, and Julie McGuffey, who sings the role of Miss Adelaide, (“Good Old Reliable” Nathan’s increasingly impatient fiancée). What follows are some of their takes on this extraordinary work of American musical theater.
Erin Silliman, director
What’s the draw of the Classics in Concert format?
To showcase those beautiful scores from the Golden Age of musicals, which have the broad, sweeping sounds of a full orchestra (here, a 16-piece ensemble)– one that has all four families of the orchestra represented (strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion). So having a large orchestra was key. And doing that takes up more space on our stage, so it impacts choreography. But we haven’t had to sacrifice any production quality for this, and because our audiences love it, we love it as a team of creatives.
It’s been wonderful because everyone is so dedicated to telling the story so thoroughly. Normally our orchestra is tucked behind a wall, and in other theaters they might be in an orchestra pit. So this is a neat way to see it all happen together.
Does it make a significant difference having orchestra members closer than usual to the singers?
They do have that direct line of sight, but they’re watching the conductor. But it certainly does help them understand the nuances of what’s (happening) on stage, and maybe the feel of it since they’re right there with the actors, just feet from the action.
Do you cast these kinds of shows with a special eye and ear?
We cast it the same as part of our whole audition process over the summertime. With showcasing primarily Golden Age musicals, sometimes there is a different skill set. The dancing is different than in more contemporary musicals generally. The style is different, so you’re looking for vocalists who can take on that more classical or traditional sound when it comes to the musical theater canon. Sometimes there are people who specialize in this style, and that’s really cool to see and showcase.
There are people who look forward to this time slot every year, just because they have an affinity for the older musicals. And there certainly are actors that have worked with us before who I always hope will come back and audition. We were pleased that many people came back this year to be involved.
What’s your personal history with Guys and Dolls?
Some context first: I’ve been involved with CenterStage for about 12 years now, and it’s not been done in that time period. I think the last time it was done was in the early 2000s, so it’s been a little while since we’ve seen it on our stage. From a personal standpoint, this musical is very special for me. It was the first musical I did in high school, when I was getting started on my performance journey and my love for musicals. So it was time to celebrate this incredible touchstone work in the musical canon, and was a neat way for me to come almost full circle in my professional career.
Adam Thomas, music director and conductor
In this production you conduct from a seated position in full view of the audience, facing the musicians and to a degree, the singers. How does that feel?
It’s so much easier to communicate and be able to connect with the singers, because I’m not below or behind them as I would be in any other theater. And for the musicians, it allows them to somewhat be the audience and see what the performers are doing. When you’re under a stage, you have no idea what’s going on above you. You might be able to hear it, but you don’t get to connect with the characters and how the actors are portraying them.
That’s a sizable contrast from the relative anonymity of a pit musician.
This allows them the opportunity to be part of the show in a way they can’t when they’re in a pit below the stage. They get to be seen when they have a saxophone or trumpet solo – there are moments in this show where they get to stand up and get a little more recognition for what they’re doing. We’ve even identified certain scenes where we, as musicians, truly believe an orchestra would be present in that scene (as in a sequence set in Havana, Cuba), so they’ll react and respond.
You have a pretty eclectic group of players up there.
Yes, it’s a very diverse group of folks. Most of them have music degrees – maybe some are teachers or administrators, or perhaps professional musicians who are doing gigs and things like that. But for this exact group of 17 people (16 instrumentalists plus him), this is the one and only time they’ve ever been together. I’m so proud of how they’ve connected so quickly, musically and as people.
Julie McGuffey, Miss Adelaide
Is this your first Adelaide, or are you a veteran of this role?
This is my first time actually performing it, but it’s actually been a dream role of mine probably since I was in middle school. There was a big revival that came out in 1992 (the Faith Prince/Nathan Lane production). I didn’t see it, but I had a CD of the cast recording, and I listened to it religiously. I used to sing Adelaide’s Lament, the main song of my character, in competitions, talent shows and things like that. So I’ve been singing and dreaming about this role basically my whole life.
How do you prepare for a role like this one?
The first thing I do is read the script backwards and forwards, because there are always little clues the book writer will leave in there about motivation and personality. I found a lot of things that made me think about what makes her tick.
Are you a stalwart presence at CenterStage?
I do about one show a year. I work full time (as an attorney) and have a family, so one show a year is about all I can commit to. But I also serve as the co-chair of the CenterStage Committee, so I’m very involved, even if I don’t do as many shows as some others.
Your last show was Stephen Sondheim’s Company, which stands in almost complete contrast to Loesser’s musical idiom in Guys and Dolls. Do you enjoy shifting among markedly different styles?
It’s always great to know your useable theater history and to do the classics, and then a lot of times it’s fun to do new things. I’ve done The Prom here, which is a very recent, contemporary show, but my love has always been the classics. I’m actually not as much of a Sondheim fan as many of my fellow musical theater performers are, but it was a fun show and I’m glad I did it. It gave me a great character to chew on, for sure.
And of course, before you’re cast you have to audition – putting yourself on the line basically every time.
It’s never any easier no matter how many shows you’ve done, no matter how much you love the show, no matter how much you love the people you’re auditioning for. You’re always making yourself vulnerable.
