You know when your mom sends you to the grocery store with a Post-It note of ingredients to buy? Like butter, eggs, tomatoes…the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold…
Oh, wait–I’m getting my lists mixed up.
The musical Into the Woods is pretty much your average trek to Shoprite…but imagine if, instead of your mom, you were sent to gather ingredients for a vengeful witch.
This spring, the MLHS stage will be decorated with the mystery, beauty, and mischief of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Under the creative leadership of Director Christine Penney and her assistant, Angela Tsai, this production features a cast of thirty-seven actors as well as a student pit orchestra and stage crew. Large-scale puppetry will make its premier on the MLHS stage, with this show, after guidance from Broadway professionals and design by your very own students.
Find a seat in the auditorium during the weekend of February 28-March 2 to experience the combination of all your favorite fairy tales in one twisted plot line and one twisted place: the woods.
Anything Can Happen in the Woods…
The musical begins with a baker and his wife, unable to have children due to a curse placed on their family tree by a witch. The witch offers to reverse the curse, however, if the baker and his wife can acquire a series of items from her suspiciously specific list.
That’s how Cinderella’s slipper, Rapunzel’s hair, Jack’s cow, and Little Red Ridinghood’s cape get involved. Add an intimidating giant to the mix, and you can imagine the monstrous mix-up that ensues.
Along the road of developing the show’s aesthetic and personality, the cast members held a photo shoot with Mountain Lakes parent and talented photographer Peter Sorantin. Taking place in our very own woods, the magical spirit of the photo shoot was helped by light painting photography. In short, light painting photography uses lights to paint a design while a camera is left open during a long exposure photograph. While the actors stayed very still, the photographer’s assistants, including MLHS junior Meg Hatton, ran around the actors with the special light paint to create the whimsical design. (All the fantastic photos you see in this article can be credited to Peter Sorantin.)
Puppetry: Bringing Creatures to Life
Contrary to common belief, the MLHS Theater Department will NOT be bringing a live cow onstage to play Jack’s cow in this spring’s production of Into the Woods. You might not notice the difference, however, because this year’s production will feature life-like puppetry to bring the non-human characters right off the page.
As an introduction to the world of puppetry, the cast participated in a workshop with Eric Wright, co-founder of NYC’s The Puppet Kitchen. Wright’s presentation included instruction on the fundamentals of Bunraku puppetry as well as guidance on puppet design.
In addition, the MLHS Theatre Department was blessed with insight from Broadway actor and Mountain Lakes resident Michael Hollick. Given his experience with the animal puppets in The Lion King on Broadway, Hollick was able to guide students in puppet manipulation, diction, and movement.
Into the Woods and Out of the Woods and Home Before Dark!
If you’re interested in venturing into the woods, there will be four shows and a Cast Meet & Greet on the following dates, each running about 2.5 hours long (including Intermission):
- Thursday, February 28 – 7:30 PM
- Friday, March 1 – 7:30 PM
- Saturday, March 2 – 2:00 PM**
- Saturday, March 2 – 7:30 PM
**The Saturday matinee performance will be a “family-friendly” version of the show, cut down to 1.5 hour. A Cast Meet & Greet will immediately follow.
In addition, seniors of 55+ years of age can attend the show for free on Wednesday, February 27 at 4:00 PM. No reservations are required!
To buy tickets and find more information, please visit https://mlhs.booktix.com.
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