The Tony Award-winning Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls comes to the Asolo Repertory Theatre November 18, kicking off the fifth and final season of the American Character Project with the timeless tale of showgirls, gamblers and straight-laced soul-savers—all long-shots in love and in over their heads. But staging a classic poses its own difficulties, namely how to give the audience something new from such a familiar story. According to director/choreographer Josh Rhodes and actor Cole Burden, it’s all in the approach.

Though both veterans of the stage—Rhodes coming from Broadway productions such as Bright Star, It Shoulda Been You and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Burden national tours of Bridges of Madison County and Les Miserables—neither had previously been involved in a production of Guys and Dolls, and Burden had never seen it. While some may view unfamiliarity with the material as an obstacle, Rhodes and Burden saw opportunity in the absence of preconceived notions—that their production began from a clean slate, not unduly influenced by previous portrayals. Meeting in New York City, the pair “devoured” the stories of Damon Runyon, which were the basis of Guys and Dolls, instead.

“That’s been an interesting way to approach it from its origins,” says Rhodes. To him, Runyon is one of the “American originals,” not just for the wit of his words but the authentic, though exaggerated, core of his characters and creation. “He knew and loved these lowdown characters and lifted them through these beautiful stories,” says Rhodes. “He captured in a bottle a part of New York and a part of America in fable form.” It spawned its own language, characterized by ratatat rhythm, garbled grammar and faux-eloquence, and the actors rehearse Shakespeare in Runyon-ese to warm up.

In capturing the character of Sky Masterson—gambler, bachelor and all-around lady-killer—Burden’s unfamiliarity may have even landed him the role thanks to his novel approach. “A lot of men came in, put one eyebrow up and said their lines like they were a stud,” recalls Rhodes. “Cole [Burden] looked at it like a fresh script.” Where other routines fell flat in about two minutes, Burden found humor and wit to sustain the performance.

“In some miraculous way I’d steered clear of [Guys and Dolls],” says Burden, “so it really was new.” The key, he says, is not to fall into the trap of watching the performers who came before—Marlon Brando, Robert Alda, Peter Gallagher—but to find the part of the character relevant to his life, that paralleled his experience, and bring that forward. “Everybody got a baby,” he says laughing, and friends and colleagues are getting married around him. Questions of comfortable routines and compromising for the future arise. “That’s what Sky’s going through,” Burden continues. “That’s so human and that hasn’t changed for anyone.”

“That’s what musicals did in such a beautiful way,” says Rhodes. “Taking the folly of relationships and putting them onstage in a big way so people can chuckle and look at the person next to them and say, ‘We’re not that messed up.’”

Guys and Dolls opens November 18 at Asolo Repertory Theatre and runs through January 1. 

Up on the chalk wall at Lila last week, diners took note of the handwritten specials—an ever-rotating roster—the last of which being pan-seared scallops with squash risotto. Thinking it a daring choice to order seafood at a vegetable-driven restaurant—especially a dish that can go so terribly wrong if cooked just slightly too much or too little—it was with immense satisfaction that the first taste was taken, a pleasant surprise amidst a menu of pleasant surprises. Seared to perfection, the meaty white orbs have a golden crunch layered atop a creamy—yes, creamy—and super juicy mid-section. With just enough spice, the four scallops take on a sweetness that pairs well with the earthy, full-flavored fall squash risotto beneath. The plate is perfectly balanced—just filling enough for an entree while leaving ample room for one of Lila's vegan desserts.  

Lila, 1576 Main St., Sarasota, 941-296-1042.

Thin layers of russet potato cover piping-hot dough as small dollops of ricotta top this white pizza, sprinkles of rosemary, red pepper flakes and sea salt adding texture. Valentino Pizzeria prepares a pizza bianco topped with extra virgin olive oil, leaving you swooning over this scrumptious, light and fresh pizza.

For dough: 1 (¼ oz.) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.); 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting; ¾ cup warm water, divided; 1 tsp. salt; ½ Tbsp. olive oil.

For topping: ½ cup ricotta; 1 large peeled russet potato; 2 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 sprig of fresh rosemary; pinch of sea salt; pinch of red pepper flakes; extra virgin olive oil.

Equipment: a pizza stone

Start with the dough: stir together yeast, 1 Tbsp. flour and ¼ cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand until surface appears creamy, about five minutes. Add 1 ¼ cups flour, remaining ½ cup water, salt and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour (¼ to ⅓ cup) for dough to begin to pull away from side of bowl. (Dough will be slightly wet.) Knead on a floured surface, lightly flouring when dough becomes too sticky, until smooth, soft and elastic: about eight minutes. Form into a ball, put in a bowl and dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 ¼ hours.

Heat pizza stone while dough rises at least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put stone on oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 500℉. Shape dough by dusting with flour, then transfer to a pizza peel or large baking sheet. Pat out dough evenly with your fingers and stretch into a 14-inch round, re-flouring fingers if necessary. Assembling the pizza: using a vegetable peeler, begin slicing the potato over the pizza dough. Be sure to cover the dough in a single thin layer. Next, top the dough with small dollops of the ricotta. Sprinkle the rosemary, red pepper flakes and sea salt over the potato slices and ricotta. Top with extra virgin olive oil.

Slide pizza onto pizza stone. Bake until dough is crisp and browned and cheese is golden and bubbling in spots, 13 to 16 minutes. Using peel or baking sheet, transfer pizza to a cutting board. 

Valentino Pizzeria Trattoria, 4045 Clark Rd, (941) 921-9600

Rick Mohrman of executive search firm Brooke Chase Associates has announced the placement of Jeanine Weinziel as director of business development, semi-custom with ACPI. Weinziel will be responsible for creating and implementing a business plan for the commercialization of a semi-custom frameless cabinet line at ACPI’s new state-of-the-art facility. Weinziel’s work will include product offering, dealer distribution, sales force, marketing and sales support material and processes, and launch plan/timeline. Brooke Chase Associates is an executive search firm, specializing in the recruitment of executive management professionals within the building materials and kitchen/bath industries, with offices in Chicago and Knoxville and corporate headquarters in Sarasota. 

Brooke Chase

Janet Walter with Michael Saunders & Company, in the Longboat Key South office, was rewarded the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation by the Institute For Home Marketing. The CLHMS designation recognizes residential real estate professionals who have demonstrated their experience and proficiencies in working with the affluent customer. Walter specializes in luxury waterfront property. The Institute only awards the recognition to professionals who have provided verified and notarized documentation of performance reflecting sales in the top 10 percent of their given market. The Institute does not recognize any transactions less than $500,000 as luxury regardless of market performance or fluctuations. 

Michael Saunders

A non-profit organization serving older adults in Southwest Florida, The Friendship Centers, has been awarded a grant of $290,580 to be used to upgrade equipment and enhance medical and dental service for uninsured or underinsured clients served by its health clinics in Sarasota, Lee and Collier Counties. In Sarasota and Venice, the Friendship Centers grant will fund new ophthalmology equipment, hi-tech dental chairs and sterilization equipment. 

The Friendship Centers