Gallery • 11 Photos

Michael Pringle

Ms. Adelaide, played by Merrill Cover, performs her number "Take back your mink".

On Oct. 25 at 7:00 p.m., Marin’s Throckmorton Theater held a showing of Guys and Dolls, showcasing the local musical and acting talent from ages 12 to 20. Guys and Dolls, an adaptation of a Tony-winning musical, takes place in New York during the mid-1900s. The romantic comedy spotlights two gamblers and their “Dolls”, which begins when one places a bet that the other will not be able to take a missionary woman to Havana, Cuba.
The Throckmorton Theater provides actors of any age with the opportunity to make connections with their peers and be their own unique individuals. Parker Hall, a junior at Tamalpais (Tam) High School, plays the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson, a friend of the main character, Nathan Detriot, and a fellow gambler. Hall feels that Guys and Dolls epitomizes what Throckmorton means to him.
“Throckmorton is so special because it produces these amazing, quality shows with children. [This] is really hard to come by, especially in this day and age for kids’ theater,” Hall said. “The creative team puts so much work into these shows. Whether it’s a set, the sound or the music, [the creative team] never misses. [Throckmorton] also creates such a safe environment for kids to be their authentic selves, which makes it great.”
Elyse Faherty, a senior at Tam High School, plays the role of Adelaide, the girlfriend of Detroit who is one of the main gamblers in the show. Throughout the show, Faherty engages the audience with her resentful and anger-filled songs, such as “Adelaide’s Lament,” written to address the struggles she faces as her boyfriend fails to propose to her after 14 years. Faherty believes that the friends and acquaintances she has made at Throckmorton are what truly makes Guys and Dolls special.
“The [Throckmorton] family is different from any other community or sport type of vibe. These are my best friends in the world, and the directors become like your family, and you just feel super safe, and you have a great time. I think people don’t really know the extent that Throckmorton goes to help people of a young age who are not expected to produce such adult types of shows,” Faherty said.
Redwood junior Jack Lapic plays Big Jule, a big league craps player from Chicago, and is excited for audiences to see the talented cast.
“A strong ensemble makes a really good show, and we have that. Also, I’m excited to show off the different romantic relationships and how the characters kind of contrast with each other, with their goals and motivations, but how it overall sets up a really good story,” Lapic said.
Hall believes that the scene in Havana, where the performers dance salsa on the floor, will excite the audience with its magical dance number.
“The Havana scene is really fun. It’s an upbeat, full dance number where [the audience] gets to see a lot of fun tricks. The actors get to show off their dancing abilities which is really fun,” Hall said.
Throckmorton will continue its showings of Guys and Dolls with two casts through November, performing on the weekends of Oct. 25, Nov. 1, and through Nov. 7-10 with showings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.throckmortontheatre.org/ for more information.