“Take a Chance on Love”: Liane Penny on Kingston Meistersingers ‘Guys and Dolls’
With “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” “If I Were a Bell,” and many more, Guys and Dolls is filled with hummable hits, even 75 years after its Broadway premiere. And now, the Kingston Meistersingers are bringing this beloved story and music to the city. Recently, I sat down with Liane Penny, president of the Kingston Meistersingers, and also a producer, costumer, and member of the cast to chat about community musical theatre, the magic felt before stepping on stage, and the importance of taking a chance on love.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
As someone who is part of the cast, production side, and the president of the Meistersingers, I’d love to hear what the process has looked like, from choosing the show, to the design elements, to rehearsals?
It starts with [the board] at show selection, going through all the different shows that have been sent to us… We just put that out to the membership and ask them to submit shows. Plus, as a board, we also have shows in the back of our mind as well.
We rate them and think about what would be a really good show for us to do. It also depends on what theatre we’re going to be in: our fall shows tend to be bigger shows than a show we’d do at the Domino [Theatre], which is a smaller venue that is better for shows that are a creative chance or have smaller casts.
When we finally narrow down what the show is, then we also have people in mind to direct, or do lighting design, set design… We’ve worked with Rachel MacDonald before, who’s just this amazing director. She directed Bonnie and Clyde, and so we asked her to come on board for Guy and Dolls, and we already had our amazing lighting and set designer, Adair Redish.
At our first full production meeting, Adair shows up with a full, to-scale model of what he wants the set to be, with moveable little pieces and the colours. And then Ruth [Moore] and I, who are costumers, already had a colour scheme and an idea in mind, which actually works with what he has in mind…
The idea for Guys and Dolls is that you are stepping into a 1950s technicolor film. It’s a world that you can imagine, but it’s not a world that you could live in, in reality. Everything is bolder, brighter, not quite real, [and] a little bit comical, but somewhere that you’d really love to visit.
Can you tell me a bit about Guys and Dolls, for those who may be new to the musical?
The name of the musical is actually Guys and Dolls: A Fable of New York, but people don’t really ever use that subtitle. In any fable… there’s always a lesson at the end. So if you think about it, in this show, there has to be some kind of lesson, and it’s really up to the audience to take it with them.
This story expertly combines two stories of two unlikely couples you follow throughout the musical. The show has often been described as the perfect musical comedy by many people, actually. And one of the reasons why it’s described that way is because the writers, kind of, have expertly combined these two storylines that come together in the end.
I think for me, the lesson at the end of this show, of this fable, is that you should take a chance on love… [For the first couple], one is the head of a gambling group, and the other one is the head of a mission, very similar to the Salvation Army. Why would these two ever come together? They’re so opposite. For the other couple, one is a showgirl and the other one is a really not great gambler… and they’ve been engaged for 14 years.
Is there anything in particular that audiences should look for in the show—a particular number, moment, or newcomers to the stage?
It’s funny because when I’m in the audience, I always gravitate to particular ensemble members who stand out to me, because they have such character. I’m always watching everybody, and then I get hooked on somebody who just has just really got it—they’ve done that comedy element or they have bright facial expressions. I’m always telling people at rehearsal, someone is always watching you.
I also think watching the development of the romance between [principle couple] Sarah (Jessica Duchain) and Sky (Donald Mitchell) has been a favourite. It’s so special. We’ve been watching it grow even as [Duchain and Mitchell’s] friendship grows. At the beginning of rehearsals, they didn’t know each other at all, and now they have this amazing bond and connection. Now seeing their character’s romance bloom on stage is just really special. There’s part of you as an audience member that gets involved in the romance of a couple; you dream it and want it to be true…
We just can’t say enough about the band. They’re basically professional musicians, and they just do it out of the sheer love of playing—it’s the same as us. We do it out of sheer love of performing. They are just incredible. Usually, you don’t see any of them. This year, they are on the back wall and we’ve built some… 1940s, 1950s red and white bandstands for them to place their sheet music on so they are visible to the audience.
As someone who is part of so many aspects of the production, is there anything you’re especially looking forward to once all these different elements come together with tech and opening?
I mean, I sort of wear three hats, right? So I’m one of the producers. I’m the president of the company, and I’m also playing a role in the show. So I guess I have, sort of, three different [things] looking forward to, you know? As a president, I have money worries, so I’m constantly watching ticket sales and making sure that, you know, we break even or make money, right? It’s important to us because we need to make money so that we can have that money to buy the rights for our next show. Because as a charitable organization, that’s how we function…
As producer, I’m really just making sure that all of the other production people have what they need, that everything is running smoothly, that everybody is happy.
And then as someone in the show, I mean, obviously I’m looking forward to the band playing the overture and just waiting to go on, right? There’s that moment where you’re waiting for your entrance and you hear the music and it’s exhilarating…
I guess with my other hats, president and producer, that also makes me really happy too. As soon as I hear that first laugh, I know [it’s all] okay… It’s perfect. It’s all come together.
Liane Penny has been President of the Kingston Meistersingers since 2013. She is passionate about bringing top quality musical theatre to the Kingston stage. She also enjoys performing, and has played several lead roles in the past, including Marilla in ‘Anne of Green Gables’, and Donna in ‘Mamma Mia’. In her off-theatre time, she enjoys traveling to PEI with her husband, adventuring in Europe, and dreaming of what the next musical might be!
‘Guys and Dolls’ is presented by Kingston Meistersingers and runs from November 20-30th, 2025 at Le Sésame Theatre. More information about the show and tickets can be found here.
