By Special to the Town Crier
A chair flew through the air. A thug hit the ground with a thud.
Peninsula Youth Theatre’s Mountain View studio was the scene of a barroom brawl.
Dexter Fidler watched from the safety of the sidelines. “OK,” he said. “Now let’s speed it up just a bit.”
The mostly teen-aged actors resumed their starting places for the Havana scene of PYT’s production “Guys and Dolls,” which opens this week.
“Guys and Dolls” is Frank Loesser’s self-proclaimed “musical fable of Broadway,” based on Damon Runyons short stories about a motley crew of underworld characters.
In the barroom scene, gambler Sky Masterson takes save-a-soul missionary Sarah Brown to a Cuban nightclub, where the taste of a potent dulce de leche arouses Sarah’s jealousy, and the action gets out of hand.
To achieve maximum realism with minimal risk, the actors learned basic stage combat techniques from a master: Fidler. One of only about 40 fight directors nationwide certified by the Society of American Fight Directors, he has staged fight sequences for more than 100 productions and trained Robin Williams for the film “Hook.”
“Violence happens when words fail us,” Fidler says. “In a play, that action pushes the story in a new direction, but the theatrical violence needs to be true to the spirit of the work. ‘Guys and Dolls’ is a musical comedy, so while the bar fight reveals Sarah’s passion for Sky, it also helps clear the set for the next scene.”
“Guys and Dolls” is Fidler’s first production with PYT, though he has directed for Palo Alto Players and Vallejo Music Theatre, and has appeared on stage with San Jose Rep and San Jose Stage.
“Working with kids really isn’t any different from working with adults.” Fidler said. “You alter things according to the skill of the actor, regardless of age. But the goal is always the same: to be safe and effective.”
Fidler leads a team of professionals that includes choreographer Katie O’Bryon, a graduate of the Arte International School of Physical Theatre who has directed, choreographed and performed with many Bay Area companies; music director John Lehrack, artistic director of California Choristers and founder of San Francisco’s Bethany Theatre Project; and award-winning set designer Andrea Bechert. They, along with two complete casts of about 30 youths ages 10-20, are betting on a winner.
Broadway’s oldest-established musical racked up eight Tonys after its 1950 premiere. Five years later, it came to the big screen with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.
PYT’s “Guys and Dolls” runs Friday through May 19 at Cubberley Community Center Theatre, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Show times are 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturdays; and 4 p.m., Sundays. Tickets are $13-$15. A discounted school-time show, at $6 per ticket, will be held at 9:30 a.m., May 17.
For more information, call 988-8798 or logon to www.pytnet.org.
