Guys and Dolls SR. at
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House

Cast & Crew Bios

CAST BIOS

Sal Anzalone (Harry the Horse) appears in the 2022 film Portrait of a Street Gigolo by director Alan Baxter and the short Banana Split And A Few Extra Nuts. Sal prefers movies to theatre: "No matter how good your performance is on stage; it's usually forgotten in a month. Not so with films - because unlike stage plays, they're recorded. Actors are immortalized on film," Sal says. Then why did he agree to be cast in the musical Guys and Dolls? Many wonder. His reply: "I enjoy being together with many of my friends on stage." Besides acting,  playwriting is his other love.  Sal won a Tennessee Williams award for his intricate two character one-act play Marvin's Fetish. For Sal, writing and acting are never ending goals. He believes dreams have no expiration dates.

Elaine Chan (Big Jule) is a staff chaplain with Healthcare Chaplaincy in New York. Prior to serving as a chaplain, she worked for 20 years in community organization and development. Elaine is a first generation Chinese-American, the oldest of six children. Her parents are originally from Toishan, China. She helped out at her parents’ Chinese laundry in the West Village while attending parochial school.

Julie Down (Bertha; Hot Box Ensemble) Retired corporate finance and commercial real estate executive turned amateur actress performing in The Vagina Monologues and The Music Man SR. as well as doing several scenes from Baby and the Bath Water, 6 Degrees of Separation and Proof in various talent shows. I'd like to dedicate my performance to my mom, who passed away in July 2023.

Shirley Eiten (Mission Ensemble) I’m Shirl Eiten and I’m 91 years young! I was in last year’s The Music Man SR. While working, I got to sing at Dangerfield's, Don’t Tell Mama and on the QE2 and Royal Caribbean! I sing on Friday nights at The WP Presp Church on 86th and Amsterdam! I’ve taken art, drama and Poets and Writers classes since 2013.

Cynthia Gale Valdes (Lieutenant Brannigan) is delighted to perform in the comedic role of Lieutenant Brannigan. With Equity Library Theatre earlier this month, she appeared in David Ives’ The Lives of the Saints as Flo. In May, in Laura Lockheart’s The Awning as The Private Secretary. In 2023-2024, The Monologue Table @ QED, Astoria. With Genoveva Productions in 2023, The Cross-roads as Dee @ The Secret Theatre. Peace.

Ronnye Halpern (Mission Ensemble; Hot Box Ensemble) Mission gal 40 years ago, now Hot Box, too! Ronnye is a veteran of numerous musical productions on Roosevelt Island, City Center’s Into the Woods community chorus and The Music Man SR. She is a TV background actor and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker crisis counselor.

Barbara Haspel (Arvide Abernathy) has been performing her whole life in musical theater and opera. In Italy, she performed with the great Ferruccio Tagliavini in the Puccini opera Tosca, where she played the lead role of Floria Tosca. She continued to sing all over Italy and has written four original musicals.  Barbara is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and a Fulbright Scholar.

Robin Jacobson (Benny Southstreet) started her theatrical career doing improv comedy and performed with several improv groups in New York City. After that, she did stand-up comedy/performance art at various clubs around NYC. For several years she performed with the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Community Theater. Robin continues to study acting and improv. In 2023, she appeared as Winthrop in The Music Man SR. For Nancy J.

Cheryl Kann-Ferst (Sarah Brown) I want to dedicate my performance to my parents who nurtured my love of theater and who will surely be watching my performance in heaven. I studied dancing from 6-12 years of age, attended The High School Performing as a Drama Major, performed in Off Broadway Productions, directed children’s theater at the summer stock Hampton Playhouse in New Hampshire and sang for the last 30 years in the SGI Sunrise Women’s Chorus and the NYC Community Chorus. In 2022, I sang in the Intergenerational chorus who performed alongside City Center’s production of Into the Woods. All of these experiences have given me tremendous joy and satisfaction. I am truly grateful and honored to have the opportunity to perform Sister Sarah Brown in this year’s Lenox Hill Neighborhood Houses production of Guys and Dolls SR.

Hedy Kellerman (Angie the Ox) Senior Centers introduced me to the joys of being on stage. As a participant in both Into the Woods SR. and The Music Man SR. productions for Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, I also auditioned and performed for the City Center's Encore presentation of Sondheim's Into The Woods. Two weeks in a Hit Show. Next on my Bucket List: A midnight camel dune ride over the Sahara.

Anthony Lentini (Sky Masterson) is honored to be part of Guys and Dolls SR., his first role in a musical. He says that his more than three decades teaching was a great preparation for performing. Previous experiences include City Center's Into the Woods, in the intergenerational Chorus, Hudson Guild's Uncle Vanya and Beckett Sampler and many showcases at St. Peter's and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. The best part...all the new friends made.

Elizabeth Leventhal (Larry Fey) This is my first foray onto a stage, and I am enjoying every minute. Kudos to the production team for their creativity, commitment, contagious enthusiasm ... and infinite patience!

Patricia Lewis (Mizzoo) Theater: The Public Theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2017). NY City Center: Into the Woods (2022). Hudson Guild Theater Company: Vagina Monologues (2022), Uncle Vanya (2023), Beckett Sketches, Sr. Talent Showcase-Standup (2023). Lenox Hill Neighborhood House: The Music Man SR. (2023). TV: AMC special, “Gotta Dance.” Dance: Member of Dabat Dance Ensemble, Beirut, Lebanon. Award winning competitive ballroom dancer in Latin, Smooth, Swing categories, NYC. MA Middlebury College in Spain, Spanish Lit/Drama. Born in Cumberland, Maryland on St. Patrick’s Day with luck and pluck. Mother of daughter, Alexandra.

Audrey Melikian (General Cartwright), a Lyric Coloratura Soprano and America's "Jenny Lind," has appeared in Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), Into the Woods SR. (Rapunzel), Lucia di Lammermoor (Lucia), Tales of Hoffman (Olympia), Die Fledermaus (Adele), Marriage of Figaro (Susanna), The Gondoliers (Casilda), and Anush (Anush). She is also an International Style Ballroom, Latin, and Hustle dancer, classical pianist, and yoga enthusiast. As a youngster, she was a Sunbeam at the Salvation Army while taking the YWCA's swimming lessons located right next door! Many thanks to Mom and Dad and Kerri for those wonderful acting classes! God Bless America!

Diana Mullman (Frankie) is delighted to join the rest of her community theater group/family. Started on radio, “Juvenile Opinion” at 7, then onto TV commercials at 10. Stage debut: A View from the Bridge, Finian’s Rainbow. Film: Turned On. Irish mother in The Music Man SR. - Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. She has been a volunteer teacher at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Older Adult Center for 18 years.

Alan Myers (Nathan Detroit) My day camp in the Catskill's needed someone to be the Admiral in the HMS PINAFORE. At the age of 8, I jumped in. With a pillow sewn into my mother's apron, I had a great time. 71 years later after a career as a NY Stagehand, I'm now on stage once again. This time as Nathan Detroit. What a treat! Terrific cast, wonderful creative team and an amazing script. What more could a kid want. Sincere thanks to Gail, my wife, my kids and Mara Rose my granddaughter.

Jerry Petardi (Nicely Nicely Johnson) After a long hiatus I returned to the stage last year at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House in Hannah Swanson's Dance Co. & now in Guys and Dolls Sr. MUSICAL THEATER:   Captain Hook (Peter Pan), Fagin (Oliver), Charlie (Charlie Brown), Jerry/Daphne (Sugar) TURTLE BAY MUSIC SCHOOL:  Performer & Choreographer ST. BART'S: Performer (She Loves Me), Choreographer (The Boyfriend) TV: The Deuce, Law & Order, Sex & the City FILMS: Enchanted (Dancer), Uptown Girls, Catch Me If You Can, Dance Host for Roseland Ballroom, Harvest Moon Ballroom Champion & Coach SAG/AFTRA Member. Special thanks to our wonderful Director, her Creative Team and the Cast.

Annette Renschowicz (Deputy) Extremely excited to join the talented cast of Guys and Dolls SR. In previously two theatrical productions: New York City Center Encores Into The Woods, The Music Man SR. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Episode Program: Pose with Billy Porter. Podcast: Caring Kind. Reel: Isle of Wight 1970. Book: Faithful Friends-Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data. Advocate for protecting stray animals.

Gail Rivers (Mission Ensemble) is a multifaceted artist whose journey through playwriting, acting, voice and community activism has left an indelible mark on the arts community. She studied drama and voice at the Fournier-Grego Performing Arts Center and songwriting under Grammy-nominated songwriter Lou Stallman after graduation from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Evira Ince Waldren and Les Ford inspired Gail to embark on her path as a playwright. She published Southern Gals a 2017 play and poignant reflection of her life’s narrative. In it, she highlights two poems, “Those Who Came Before Us” and “He Had a Dream,” which pay homage to the meaning of Black History Month and the legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and former President Barack Obama respectively. Also included in her book are lyrics from her song “Nappy Hair,” which entered the 2013 American Songwriters Contest and soared into the Top 100 category out of 1,600 entrants.

Penina Debra Scher (Allison) Theater: An Evening of Heiner Mueller, Art (Yvan), The Music Man SR. (Jacey Squires, Quartet). Opera/Operetta: Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino), The Old Maid and the Thief (Miss Todd), H.M.S. Pinafore (Little Buttercup). Concert: Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, Konzerthaus (Berlin). Vocal training: Fontainebleau Schools of Music, Mozarteum University, Aspen Music School. Dedicated to mom.

Pamela Trester (Adelaide) It is a dream come true for Pam to be playing Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls SR. Credits include: Broadway at 92NY Chorus, Encore Chorale of NYC West, New York City Center’s Into the Woods, The Vagina Monologues (Hudson Guild), and The Music Man SR (Lenox Hill Neighborhood House). Thanks to everyone involved in this production for making the experience such a joy! Love to her favorite scene partner - her husband, Sal!

Judy Wagner (Rusty Charlie) In 2004, Judith Wagner starred in the movie The Talent Given Us, written and directed by son Andrew, which won best picture at Sundance film festival and the Cinevegas Film festival and played in over 40 theaters across the U.S. Appeared in Central Park as Mote the Fairy in The Public Theater’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2017; in the chores of Into the Woods at City Center in 2022. Member of the Lincoln Tower Players. Studies acting with Scott Klavan.

Warren Wyss (Society Max), a retired high school English teacher, has been performing in theater since the age of seven and plans to go on forever….He has performed in six musicals for the St. Jean’s Players, did summer theater with Shakespeare in the Park, joined the cast in Into the Woods at City Center, and engaged in many community and singing projects with the UFT Players and various senior centers. Last year, he performed in the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House production of The Music Man SR. He is thrilled to be in the company of such talent!

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

Isabel Perry (Director) is thrilled to be making her Lenox Hill Neighborhood House debut. She has previously directed and developed work at Art House Productions, Primary Stages, Soho Playhouse, The Tank and Victory Gardens. Her short film, Fishbowl, premieres at Palm Springs ShortFest this month. Recent Associate Directing credits include: The Poisoner (La MaMa), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Lucille Lortel), Camelot (Lincoln Center) and Camp Siegfried (Second Stage). Isabel is a member of Roundabout Directors Group and a graduate of Northwestern University where she studied Theatre & Asian American Studies. www.isabelsloaneperry.com

Kevin Hull (Music Director) is returning for his third musical production at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, after music directing Into the Woods SR. in 2019 and The Music Man SR. in 2023. In addition to music directing, he teaches piano and guitar lessons and performs around the city. When he's not making music, he also makes independent films, animations and internet nonsense under the name Kevin Y. His animated short Mrs. Eshelman was most recently seen at the Rising Sun International Film Festival in Karatsu, Japan.

Lucy Panush (Choreographer), a native New Yorker, is excited to be back at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, where she performed on this very stage in high school with the Tap City Youth Ensemble! Choreography credits: The Book of Stacy Polley and The Sun, the Moon and the Truth. Acting credits: Tootsie: The Musical (First Broadway National Tour), Life After (Goodman Theatre), Into the Woods (Paramount Theatre) and How to L0ve (OTV). BS in Theatre: Northwestern University. She is very grateful to be working with this exceptional team and this extraordinary cast!

Clara Gamsu (Stage Manager) is proud to be making her stage management debut with Guys and Dolls SR. She earned her BA from Northwestern University where she studied acting. She has loved every minute of this process. Thank you to the creative team and the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House staff for being such wonderful collaborators and to the fantastic cast of Guys and Dolls SR. for their trust, humor and dedication. Hallelujah!

Sinclair Willman (Assistant Director) is beyond thrilled to have been a part of the dreamy creative team of Guys and Dolls SR.! A graduate of Northwestern University in Acting and American Literature, she now works in New York as an actor, arts administrator and (as of this incredible show!) assistant director. Sinclair made her Off-Broadway debut this spring in Pipeline Theatre Company’s House of Telescopes. A huge thank you to the creative team, the Neighborhood House staff and the amazing cast for weeks of supremely joyful collaboration. If she were a lamp, she’d light!

Kerri Evans (Acting Coach) is a graduate of The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University (MFA, Acting) and The College of St. Rose (BA, Communications with a minor in Theater). She has been the Drama Teacher at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House since 2017. In addition, Kerri has taught drama to students in preschool–high school and is currently a private acting coach for adults. WEIGHT, the play that she wrote and starred in, was featured in multiple play festivals in NYC. Kerri thanks the cast of Guys and Dolls SR. and all the members for sharing their time, talent and inspirational work with her.

Kat C. Zhou (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer for live events, currently based in New York City. OFF BROADWAY: The Butcher Boy (Irish Repertory Theater). REGIONAL: The Heart Sellers (Huntington Theater Company), Sweeney Todd (Moonbox Productions), Stew (Gloucester Stage Company), The Brothers Size (Oklahoma City Repertory), Little Women (Perseverance Theatre) and The Chinese Lady (Central Square Theatre), for which they received an Elliot Norton prize. OPERA: The Monkey King (White Snake Projects), X: the Life and Times of Malcolm X (Odyssey Opera). DANCE: Cinderella (Ballet Rhode Island), With Care (AMOC). She received an MFA from Boston University and an AB in mathematics from Harvard College. More info: katzhoudesign.com

lucas a degirolamo (Set Designer) is a set designer and decorator working across theater, film and live performance. Recent theater: Packages O’ the Things... (NBT), Being Up in Here (The Brick), Wait Until Dark (CCT). Recent film set decoration: The Mill, Bad Things. lucas is the founder and lead designer of FRANK STUDIO, an independent design studio and prop house. @lucasdegirolamo / @frankstudiobk

Camilla Dely (Costume Designer) is a South African costume designer and visual artist working in theater, opera and dance. She has worked internationally, regionally, off-Broadway, outdoors, in scrappy warehouses and in people's living rooms. Recent credits include: King Lear (Almeida Theater, UK), Mary Gets Hers (The Playwright's Realm), Hurricane Diane (People's Light), Love + Science (New York City Center), Sense and Sensibility (Northern Stage), Little Comedies (Alley Theatre, co-design with Susan Hilferty). Upcoming: Attempts on Her Life (The Utopian Theatre Asylum), Sisters (Northern Stage). MFA: NYU/Tisch Design for Stage and Film. www.camilladely.com

Zoe Litt (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a rising sophomore at the University of Rochester. She is majoring in history and minoring in American Sign Language. At U of R, she is the Social Chair of ROC Players, a musical theater club, and was the co-lighting designer for their production of Chicago. This is Zoe’s first Lenox Hill Neighborhood House production. She is so excited to be involved in Guys & Dolls SR.!

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

The characters of Guys and Dolls are very concerned with time. The Mission must convert sinners before it’s too late. The Gamblers must find a spot for their crap game before some star players leave town. Adelaide hopes to marry Nathan before her cold worsens. Arvide wishes for Sarah to embrace what is in her heart today. 

Three years ago, I approached Lenox Hill Neighborhood House about directing a site-specific, all-senior production of Guys and Dolls. I’ve loved this musical my entire life, and I felt that a revival that was actually set in an Older Adult Center would elevate both the comedy and heart that is so unique to this piece. To me, Guys and Dolls is about living on the edge when time is running out and how community is the necessary lifeline to keep moving forward.

Throughout this process, perhaps the greatest gift has been my 23 new friendships with this cast. I have learned so much from this group about love, life and how best to spend one’s time. During an early rehearsal, I asked a cast member her secret to longevity, and she told me that it was very simple. She woke up every day and spent her time doing exactly what she wanted to do. I’m so grateful that each day of this process has been even more than I could have wished for.

Thank you to MTI for this amazing program. Thank you Sarah Walko, our producer extraordinaire who went above and beyond each day. Thank you Kerri Evans, Jessica Leylavergne, Rose Ginsberg, Amanda Gerulski, Hubert Balcewicz, Chris Gerolimatos and the entire support staff at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Thank you Warren Scharf for welcoming this team into an incredible institution.

Thank you to my rehearsal dream team: Clara, Kevin, Lucy and Sinclair; and my brilliant design team: Lucas, Kat, Camilla and Zoe. Thank you to this marvelous cast—I am so, so proud of you all.

And thank YOU, for coming to see Guys and Dolls SR. at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Enjoy the show.

Isabel Perry

Guys and Dolls SR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com