At Sharon Playhouse, Beloved Classics With a Twist

Sharon Playhouse is bursting into its 2022 season with what can best be described as a bespoke selection of much-loved theater classics.

The first Big Show of the season will be “Guys and Dolls,” which will run from July 29 to Aug. 14 on the main stage at the Bobbie Olsen Theater — which is air conditioned for the first time ever this year. Although the theater seats have been cooled for several years now, the actors (up there dancing their hearts out in heavy costumes with hot lights blasting at them) can now enjoy a little AC too.

‘When you see a guy …’

“Guys and Dolls” opened on Broadway in 1950, was made into a film starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra in 1955 and was brought back to Broadway in 1992 with a cast that included Nathan Lane, Peter Gallagher and the amazing Faith Prince.

Certainly any small community theater can put on its own revival and everyone will love it; the story and the songs are timeless and universally appealing. But can anything be done to this beloved show that, honestly, hasn’t been done already?

Justin Boccitto, Sharon Playhouse’s interim artistic director, has found a way. A talented hoofer who has starred in several Sharon Playhouse productions in recent years, Boccitto has planned a “Guys and Dolls” that is enlivened with the use of tap.

For Boccitto, tap isn’t simply a period-appropriate add-on to the show. It’s another language, a form of physical expression that elevates the script and songs of a well-known and well-loved play.

“Tap intensifies the story. You’re singing and dancing because the situation is so heightened that you can’t talk about it anymore,” he explained. “With a show like ‘Guys and Dolls,’ tap can create tension, celebration, abandonment, romance.”

Boccitto happily recounts the history of tap in America, and emphasizes that “tap is a Black art form based on rhythm. It’s not the dancing you see in Broadway shows today. When we do our tap ‘Guys and Dolls,’ it won’t be two hours of time steps and rolling shuffles.”

As always, the production will feature beloved local residents including Sharon Playhouse Board President Emily Soell (as General Cartwright) and David Fanning (as Big Julie). Amanda Lea LaVergne returns as Sister Sarah and Broadway veteran Lauralyn McClelland will be the endlessly patient Adelaide. Broadway veteran Robert Anthony Jones will step into the big shoes of Frank Sinatra and Nathan Lane, in the role of Nathan Detroit. And C.K. Edwards takes on the role of Sky Masterson.

Sheer fun (and madness!)

Already that’s a lot of customized fun for a small community playhouse. But that’s not all. Next up on the main stage is “Shear Madness,” which will be performed from Aug. 27 to Sept. 11.

This quirky murder mystery is a custom theater experience right out of the box. It was first performed in the late 1970s by actors Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan in upstate New York, as an adaptation of a German play called “Scherenschnitt,” that was written by Paul Portner.

Abrams and Jordan injected big fun into what had been a serious drama. “Shear Madness” is now listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running nonmusical in U.S. theater history.

“Shear Madness” is, like a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, adapted for every performance and location. For the Sharon Playhouse production, the action will take place in a hair salon at the Sharon shopping plaza. There are six cast members, but the audience also participates, changing the plot as the show goes on. No two performances are ever alike.

That’s potentially a lot of chaos, and steady hands are needed to keep the show from running aground. For this production, one of the six cast members is Salisbury, Conn., native Michael Kevin Baldwin, who is Sharon Playhouse’s director of education and associate artistic director.

Baldwin is a “Shear Madness” veteran, who has performed in the national touring company and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as Tony Whitcomb (“hairdresser and suspect,” Baldwin said).

Which is exciting, but better still: Bruce Jordan himself will be directing the show. Not only is he the show’s creator, he’s also worked with four of the cast members, who performed under his direction in the touring company and at the Kennedy Center.

“This show is literally his baby,” Baldwin said. “And he knows that Sharon Playhouse is the perfect venue for it.”

Many New York City theater pros, according to Baldwin and Boccitto, are beginning to see the possibilities of doing experiments and explorations in Sharon, away from the pressures of Broadway. Sharon Playhouse fans are the lucky beneficiaries.

The season will end with a  more serious production, Lorraine Hansberry’s study of racism in the mid 20th century in Chicago, “A Raisin the Sun.” It will be performed Oct. 7 to 16 in The Bok.

Youth theater: a cut above

And as with those famous late-night television ads, there’s still more!

Of particular importance to Boccitto and Baldwin are this summer’s youth theater programs. There will be a teen production of the beloved film “Shrek,” in a version that’s been modified for the stage and young actors; and a teen production of playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”

“The cast will be dressed in period costume,” Baldwin said. “The action will take place inside a boxing ring, with the audience on the stage.”

Baldwin, as director of education, is determined to make Sharon’s educational theater program much more than an extension of school productions.

Right from the start, many of the professional actors and staff will be helping with the student shows.

“The teachers at our area schools are fantastic,” said Baldwin, who also works with theater students at the Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Conn. “But when you have the young actors on a campus where professional theater is happening, it elevates them.”

The shows will also look fantastic, Baldwin promised.

“We carve out a significant portion of our production budget for youth theater costumes and props,” he said. “These students are on a professional stage with professional staff and designers. I’m proud of our production values.”

And still there is more being offered at Sharon Playhouse this summer, more than can be included in this article (but keep an eye out for future articles as shows come up).

The best way to learn about all the excitement on tap for this summer at Sharon Playhouse is to attend the Red Carpet Tour on Friday,  June 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 each for what will be like a circus of multiple performances going on in different parts of the Playhouse campus.

Boccitto and Baldwin will give an introduction of plans for this season’s shows. At The Bok, there will be performances by ACM Collective, a New York City tap company. It will be a literal variety show, with one-hour performances on the stages.

Find out more about all this and more online at www.sharonplayhouse.org.

Sharon Playhouse’s own Michael Kevin Baldwin has been in the national tour of “Shear Madness,” and will appear in this summer’s production in Sharon. Photo courtesy Sharon Playhouse

C.K. Edwards will play Sky Masterson in this summer’s tap dance version of the Broadway classic “Guys and Dolls. Photo courtesy Sharon Playhouse

Sharon Playhouse’s own Michael Kevin Baldwin has been in the national tour of “Shear Madness,” and will appear in this summer’s production in Sharon. Photo courtesy Sharon Playhouse