Jonathan Alder High School performed the musical “Into The Woods” on March 14-17. It’s all about multiple fairytale stories mixed together, including Little Red Riding Hood (Samantha Pauly), Cinderella (Fiona Petticrew), a baker (Alex Rodriguez), the baker’s wife (Emily Wheelbarger), Jack and the beanstalk (Joel Mitchel), Rapunzel (Tori Manring) and many more fairytale characters. The cast overall really enjoyed the outcome and creation of this musical.
Junior Gavin Hawkins, an ensemble member, says, “The show is about a bunch of fairytale people who are thrown together in this big story. Each one has a goal or wish of some sort, but some eventually realize not everything you wish for is something you want.”
All members of the musical put in a lot or work ahead of performances. Freshman Amelia Mason, who worked behind-the scenes in the ensemble says, “[we dedicate] pretty much every day except Friday up until the show.”
Hawkins says the commitment is a big part of the experience. “Not many people realize the commitment for it,” he says. “We’re at the school from 7:30 am to almost 10 pm… which can be overwhelming for people sometimes.”
While it might be a lot for some, most participants see it as worthwhile. “The ‘Finale’ or ‘Steps of the Palace’ [are my favorite songs to perform],” Hawkins says. “I like to dance those, and the ‘Finale’ also has very pretty music which is fun to sing.”
The show is a lot of fun overall. Both Hawkins and Mason had some favorite scenes and parts that made the musical even more enjoyable for them.
Mason recalls Rapunzel’s prince (played by Senior Seth Dickman) as a favorite of hers. “Rapunzel’s prince… he eats ‘Agony’ up,” she says. “I also think he is a really cool character.”
Hawkins likes the complex characters in the show. “My favorite [character] is probably the witch, she is a morally gray character,” he says. “So we know she isn’t that good, but is she really bad? She is really interesting and a well written character.”
While many set pieces might not be well known to the audience, the cast notices some pieces that they think are the best. Hawkins says “The mother tree or the bakery building are my favorite [set pieces], they’re really cool looking.”
Mason is excited for the audience to come and watch the full fledged show. With everything coming together with the set and music and acting. “there is going to be a lot of audience interaction,” says Mason, “It’s going to turn out to be a pretty cool show.”
