Millstone Middle School students rehearse a dance number as Hot Box Chicks in “Guys and Dolls” on stage at the Millstone Township Performing Arts Center. Performances are March 2 and 3 at 7 p.m. See related story, page 3. JEFF GRANIT staff Millstone Middle School students and others involved in the upcoming production of “Guys and Dolls” need not ask that “Luck Be a Lady” when the curtains open — it appears that hard work and enthusiasm will be enough to ensure its success.

“Since December, they have attended rehearsals three to four days a week and have worked hard to learn lines, music, choreography and staging,” director Lisamarie Cappuzzo said. “They took on the challenge of transforming themselves into their characters with the professionalism of adult actors. I am so proud of how much they have grown individually and as a cohesive group.”

Getting into character for the upcoming performance of “Guys and Dolls” at the Millstone Township Performing Arts Center, Hunter Stahley (l) and Natalie Cappuzzo run through a scene as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet, respectively. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff As young actors sang and danced their way through a recent dress rehearsal, guided by Cappuzzo and assistant director Vincent D’Aniello, all systems seemed a go for the first musical staged at the school in three years.

The production, a junior version of the show — which runs slightly shorter and comes with prerecorded orchestration instead of live musicians — is anything but truncated in its execution. Artistic director Frank Iglesias began working with his art students to create a bold New York City backdrop, along with the streetlights, fire hydrants, telephone booths and sewers that make up the show’s sets.

The costume crew, headed up by parents Andrea MacKenzie and Kathleen Urban, has worked to produce more than 40 costumes from scratch.

In the role of Nathan Detroit, eighth-grader Frankie Oliu makes a phone call during a dress rehearsal for “Guys and Dolls.” “My living room is filled with fabric and dresses and stuff,” MacKenzie’s daughter Megan, who plays a missionary in the show, said. Allentown High School freshman Rachel Masci and Marc Ferre, a senior at the Communications High School in Wall, acted as the show’s choreographers.

Cappuzzo, a Millstone resident with 20 years of experience directing students from preschool to high school age, said her reasons for choosing to do “Guys and Dolls” were twofold.

“This show was selected not just because it is one of my favorite Broadway musicals, but also because we wanted to be able to accommodate a large group of students,” she said.

Millstone Middle School student Jessica Ricca, as Adelaide, belts out a song during a dress rehearsal for “Guys and Dolls” at the Millstone Township Performing Arts Center. JEFF GRANIT staff About 80 students came to audition for the show.

“We thought, let’s make it work,” she said. “Let’s take all of them.”

After losing a few to scheduling conflicts, they were left with a cast of 72.

Although it was a challenge trying to work around the busy schedules of so many cast members, they managed to make it work.

“I wanted to make sure that all 72 kids were an important part of the production, and I think we achieved that,” she said.

Judging from feelings about the show shared by some cast members, Cappuzzo is right.

Abigail Urban, an eighth-grader who plays Sgt. Sarah Brown in the production, summed it up.

“I think this show has been really great for a lot of kids,” she said. “A lot of kids haven’t done anything like this before, and it’s really breaking the ice for a lot of people.”

It certainly did so for Abigail, whose role represents her first onstage singing solo.

“I was really nervous, then I started to realize maybe I can have some confidence on stage, and maybe I can sing in front of people,” she said. Eighth-grader Frankie Oliu, who plays Nathan Detroit, agreed. “I have a lot more confidence now,” he said .

Frankie said he plans to follow in his brother Michael’s footsteps and take part in the plays at Allentown High School after he graduates this year. Although he has performed onstage in other productions at the middle school, this will be his first musical.

“I’m just having fun with it,” he said. “I think the biggest challenge must be just getting on stage and singing in front of all your peers. But it’s getting a lot easier when you see everyone else doing it.”

According to those involved in the production, everyone else is doing it, including those not in the cast.

D’Aniello confessed that he sings the songs throughout the day as he teaches his Spanish classes, and Frankie said kids throughout the school know the songs well, despite not being a part of the show.

“I’ve got my family singing them,” Abigail said, adding, “They’ve made me sing in language arts a couple of times.”

Cappuzzo said teachers in the school are jumping on the bandwagon of excitement over the production, as well.

“The energy surrounding this production — it’s just fantastic,” she said. “It’s not just confined to the drama club, it’s throughout the building.”

D’Aniello agreed.

“Because the cast is so large, it’s just created somuch buzz inside the school,” he said, adding, “This crew is incredible. It’s incredible working with them.”

According to D’Aniello, the students have been great about taking stage direction and bringing the directors’ vision to life.

“Once you explain it to them, then they produce it,” he said. “I’m just so happy to have themtheway they’re feeling now, just to bring them to that success.”

Despite a bit of pre-production jitters that can plague even the most seasoned of actors, the cast is ready for the show’s opening.

Seventh-grader Natalie Cappuzzo — Lisamarie’s daughter, who plays Benny Southstreet — said she has her lines down pat.

“You practice so much that it kind of gets stuck in your brain,” she said, adding, “There’s still a bit of nerves, because it’s kind of scary being in front of your friends, even having done it before.”

For the stage manager, seventh-grader Jamie White, having worked with Cappuzzo in that capacity before didn’t completely prepare her for this production, whose cast is much larger than those of shows she has managed in the past.

“At first, I thought it wasn’t going to be so many kids … but it’s better, because they’re all older. Everyone is much more mature and they all know what they’re doing — most of the time,” she said, smiling.

She added that she loves working with Cappuzzo and plans to continue stage managing in the future as long as it is with her.

Frankie’s mother, Elvira Falsetta, also sang Cappuzzo’s praises, saying she has brought so much to the school’s production.

“She is just one of the jewels we have in the town,” she said.

Cappuzzo was quick to divert the focus away from herself and onto the students.

“They have learned so much about the magic of theater,” she said. “But more importantly, they have learned so much about the value of working hard to achieve a goal, and the importance of working together as a team.”

Working together to bring the show to fruition has helped make the cast and crew a close-knit unit. Jamie said she has forged a lot of new friendships throughout the process.

“It’s really nice,” she said. “It’s one big family.”

Natalie echoed her sentiments, saying the camaraderie of the production has her trading high fives with fellow castmates — including the older eighth-grade students — in the halls.

“I never thought I’d be so close to so many eighthgraders,” she said. “But like Jamie said, we’re one big family— one huge family.”

That sense of family has extended to the families of the cast members as well, according to Cappuzzo.

“Our team doesn’t just include students,” she said. “The support of parents has been overwhelming. Parents have volunteered to do everything from running concessions, acquiring props, selling ads for our playbill, putting up posters, taking headshots, coordinating cast T-shirts, you name it. These are the finishing touches that are really going to add a professional touch to the production and are really going to help our actors shine.”

Watching Cappuzzo and D’Aniello work with the young thespians makes it clear that they are both as full of zeal for the show as the students are.

“I really look forward to watching the final pieces of the puzzle come together, and can’t wait to share it all with a live audience March 2 and 3,” Cappuzzo said.

Performances of “Guys and Dolls Junior” are scheduled for 7 p.m. March 2 and 3 at the Millstone Township Performing Arts Center, 5 Dawson Court. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets will be sold at the door, and seating is general admission.

“Guys and Dolls Junior,” a part of the Broadway Junior Collection, is presented through special arrangement with, and all authorized performance materials are provided by, Music Theatre International, 421 W. 54th Street, New York, NY 10019.