SU Drama puts a fresh twist on ‘Guys and Dolls’
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After the announcement for this year’s fall musical, “Guys and Dolls,” there was an audible groan from the crowd of students in the theater lab, who wanted to do a more modern musical. They resolved to put a new spin on the show and reimagine the decades old performance.
“A lot of people were like, ‘Why are we getting ‘Guys and Dolls’ now, what’s going to be different about it?’” senior member Alethea Shirilan-Howlett said. “I was like, Maybe I can help be part of the process to make something different about it.”
This year’s show, put on the SU drama department at Syracuse Stage, opened on Oct. 7. What sets the show apart, besides its rendition of the classic ‘50s musical, is its director.
Roughly half of the shows are run by outside directors, but the class of 2024 has never been directed by an SU alum before. This year’s show is directed by Banji Aborisade, who graduated SU in 2014 and participated in many shows during his time here.
He was the associate director of “Beetlejuice” on Broadway in 2022, and was previously the associate director for “Hairspray on Tour.” Returning to SU has inspired students in the cast and crew alike, said Alexis Wilner, the show’s assistant scenic designer.
“The fall musical every year is a beast to work with,” Wilner said. “We’ve always had a little bit of trouble getting into this first show. And so having a SU drama (alum), who is familiar with this process, that has been really great.”
For the cast, Aborisade plays the role of both a fellow student and an industry mentor, senior cast member Sydney Kamel said.
“It’s great seeing his ideas, working with him in a professional setting and then hearing about his funny stories of Syracuse,” Kamel said. “It helps me really see myself doing the same sort of things when I graduate, so it’s very inspiring.”
With the help of Aborisade’s direction, the production team put a twist on the show by focusing on the background of the 1950s, the era in which “Guys and Dolls” is set. Although the show is usually very gendered, they’ve made changes such as including women in dances that are traditionally all male, and vice versa.
Joe Zhao | Assistant Photo Editor
Choreography for much of the show was done by director Banji Aborisade. As an SU alum, he played the role of both a peer and a mentor.Joe Zhao | Assistant Photo Editor
Senior Shirilan-Howlett is the dramaturg for “Guys and Dolls.” The dramaturg is the historian for a production, who researches the time period for the director and cast to help develop the show. With the new spin that the cast and crew wanted to put on the show, her role was more important than ever.
Beginning in March, Shirilan-Howlett researched 1950s culture and the origins of “Guys and Dolls.” The show is based on books written by Damon Runyon, so this interpretation of the show begins with someone picking up a Runyon book and reading it, before getting swept into the action.
Her inspiration for her research came from a dance club known as the “Jewel Box Revue,” which reminded her of the “Hot Box” club in “Guys and Dolls.” The “Jewel Box Revue” was a pioneer in drag performances, so they took inspiration from that and included gender bending dancers in their “Hot Box scenes.”
“‘Guys and Dolls’ doesn’t necessarily fit the inclusive way that we want to do theater,” Wilner said. “We want to include all people in theater. Something that’s really great that our director was able to do is put this twist on the show, so that we’re viewing it from a 2023 perspective.”
One of most recognizable numbers in the show, “Luck Be a Lady,” is preceded by a “crapshooters ballet,” that Wilner said is an incredible part of the show.
“Banji was the choreographer, he really killed the choreography,” Wilner said. “All together, it just makes my heart sing. That’s musical theater right there.”
Kamel plays Adelaide, another main character in the show. She brought up the same part of the show as her favorite, because of a specific silly moment with the actors onstage where they all lose a gamble and get frustrated one after the other. For her, this show takes her back to freshman year when she and her friends were “horrified” about their very first auditions.
Another member of the cast, Jessica Cerreta, plays Sarah Brown. Brown has been a dream role to Cerreta for many years because of her lighthearted comedy and transformation from an uptight churchgoer to a more relaxed character.
As a senior, Cerreta described this show as a chapter coming to an end. For her, the show holds even more significance because all of her roommates are in the cast as well.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling for sure. But yeah, it really does feel like a full circle moment,” Kamel said. “From here on out, it’s all professional work. So it feels exciting, but scary and crazy and amazing.”
With direction from Aborisade, the big dance numbers, big costumes and lighting give the show an exciting energy, Kamel said. Working with an SU alum along with the rest of the senior class has made the show even more memorable.
This show is the last opportunity for the senior class to do a show together, because the majority of the senior class will not do a show in the spring and move to NYC, Cerreta said.
“I actually had a moment last night where I was sitting after the show, and I was like, ‘Oh I’m just so grateful,’ because you really don’t know when that’s ever gonna happen again,” Cerreta said. “To be able to do the thing that we all love together is just so, so special.”
