Park Players still providing local theater with latest production of ‘Guys & Dolls’

With more 40 years of bringing live theater to the community, the Park Players continue to grace the stage with their latest production of "Guys & Dolls," the musical based on the works of Damon Runyon.

Performances begin Friday, Nov. 15, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Fort Lee.

"Guys & Dolls" is a classic New York tale in which floating crap game operator Nathan Detroit must win a bet from slick high roller Sky Masterson to pay for a place to hold the game or Nathan's Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York will be forced to fold.

Nathan bets Sky $1,000 that Sky will not be able to take the starchy Mission doll Sarah to Havana for a night. Sky promises Sarah that he'll deliver "genuine sinners" to her mission if she'll make the Havana trip. In the process, Nathan almost loses his fiancé of 14 years, Miss Adelaide, but in the end they all find a path to a happy ending.

The musical opened on Broadway in November of 1950 and went on to win the Tony Award for best musical that year. It was made into a feature film in 1955 starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra and since then the play has been revived several times.

The Park Players got their start in 1983 with a group of thespians and teachers in different occupations in Union City. Their first official booked gig was "Once Upon a Mattress."

Past productions of the Park Players include "Oklahoma," "Annie," "Peter Pan," "Cinderella," "South Pacific," and even a prior production of "Guys & Dolls" in 1999. The group performed up to three or four shows a year throughout the 90s.

"When the theater began to change, we went to surrounding theaters in Weehawken and Fort Lee," said producer Joe Conklin. "We're still succeeding and moving on, even if we are just doing one show a year. Our mission is to always to give the community the best show possible."

The Park Players have worked with many children of the Union City school systems including Woodrow Wilson School where Conklin worked for 36 years as a drama facilitator.

In 2014, the Perry Awards named the Park Players the "Community Theater of the Year." The Perry Awards review theater shows throughout New Jersey.

Guys & Dolls features a cast played by actors ages 13 to 77, all hailing from different parts of the state including Jersey City, Union City, New Milford, Randolph and surrounding communities in the tri-state area.

Shows on Nov. 15, 16, 22 and 23 take place at 8 p.m. There will also be a 5 p.m. show on Sunday, Nov. 17. General admission is $22. Students and seniors get in for $18. Admission for ages 5 to 10 is $10. Children under 5 get in for free. You can get tickets for the show by calling 201-941-6030.

Also, on Sunday, Nov. 24, there will be a dinner theater performance held at La Fortuna Catering Hall at 430 Kamena St., Fairview, at 6:30 p.m.

"Guy & Dolls" is presented by special arrangement with Musical Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are supplied by MTI.

The Church of the Good Shepherd is located at 1576 Palisade Ave., Fort Lee.