After last year’s successful musical production of Beauty and the Beast, the expectations for this year’s musical, Guys and Dolls, are high. Junior Matt Reinhard, who plays Nathan Detroit, one of the lead roles, said, “We had so much talent with last year’s seniors, and we’re trying to live up to them.” This being his first time in a lead role, he feels refreshed and is “digging it”. Theatre director, Erik Eitrheim said, “I just try to do the best musical we can do every single year, and if the audience wants to compare them, they can.”

The whole cast includes 51 students who have been rehearsing for about two months. For Reinhard, the most complicated part was memorizing his lines. Eitrheim believes the hardest part was coordinating the various dance sequences and scene changes. He also adds that musicals are complicated- it just takes time.

The lighting for Guys and Dolls has been important. Eitrheim hired lighting director Erin Belpedio for the show. He also has been enjoying the new stage that was recently rebuilt. With the new stage, he says, “The lights don’t bounce off of the stage and illuminate things we don’t want them to.”

This is the second time Eitrheim has directed Guys and Dolls. In fact, ten years ago, in the fall of 2004, was when he first directed Guys and Dolls. Also, this is the first time the Owatonna High School will repeat a show. He says there is no specific reason why they decided to perform this show again, but they normally do not choose shows that have been done within the last 10 years. Eitrheim said, “It has been interesting to watch as the different actors make different choices with their [same] character… If you are able to remember or were around to see the first show, you’ll see the same content,  but you’ll see it done in a different way. That’s what makes theatre fun and remarkable to watch. It’s always a different show.”

Guys and Dolls will premiere Thursday Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. The musical will also be performed on the following dates and times: Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 1 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the show are available for purchase on www.showtix4u.com or in the junior commons during all lunches. The cost for students is five dollars and seven dollars for adults. Activity passes are accepted. Tickets will also be sold an hour before the show outside the auditorium.