Students shine in ‘Guys and Dolls’

Oceanside’s Thespian Troupe No. 132 finished its last big production of the school year earlier this month, as the student actors’ performance of the spring musical, “Guys and Dolls,” delighted audiences during its two-night run.

The popular show debuted on Broadway in 1950, and tells, in part, the unlikely love story of a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary who doubles as a showgirl in bustling New York City.

Robert Brase, director of the district’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts, said the musical was selected as a good fit for this year’s cast, and had not been performed by Oceanside High School in more than a decade.

“I think it’s magical,” Brase said of watching the students perform, “because we’re very proud of the family that we’ve created in the area of theater.”

The show’s director, Bruce Bider, a music teacher in the district for nearly 30 years, said the students worked tirelessly for two months, rehearsing five, and sometimes six days a week, to prepare for the performance. He added that through teaching he has known some of the graduating seniors for years, including “Guys and Dolls” leads Matthew Leicht, Dean Klebonas, Trevor Evans and Sarah Romanelli.

“It’s especially meaningful to me to watch them take the full journey through their school years on the stage,” Bider said. “I get to watch the kids grow up, and it’s a very rewarding experience.”

The production was a group effort, Brase said — from the student set builders and painters, to the school orchestra playing the original Broadway show tunes — which made it a “super success.”

“The whole thing is about having a community of theater students put on something that they can be proud of,” Brase said. “I think the audience at the end of both nights took a look and said, ‘We’re proud of our high school and we’re proud of the talent level that’s out there.’”