by Aja Landolfi, junior co-editor in chief
Into the Woods opened with a line that will grab the audiences attention until the very end.
“Once upon a time in a far off kingdom, there lay a small village at the edge of the woods.” This quote will draw the audience into an unknown woods of their own. Students went on a trip to the Laura Pels Theatre in Manhattan to see Into the Woods, directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld, on February 4.
Into the Woods is based on the book by James Lapine. It combines many classic childhood fairy tales into one story. The play starts off with the baker and his wife wishing that they could have a child. They then proceed to find out that the baker’s father was cursed by the witch next door and that they can’t have a child until she reverses the curse.
However they aren’t the only ones to go into the woods. Different characters go into the woods for various reasons to make their wishes come true. In the end, they wind up realizing that one must be careful what they wish for.
The cast consisted of eleven people. Most of the cast members had more than one role and all of them helped in the moving of the set and the playing of the play’s music. The only performers that had only one acting role were Jessie Austrian (Baker’s wife), Paul L. Coffey (Mysterious Man), Jennifer Mudge (Witch), and Ben Steinfeld (Baker).
With most of the cast members changing back and forth between different characters, it was a little hard to follow at certain points. However the characters were meant to amuse and did so without fault. The audience laughed and enjoyed the two male characters Noah Brody and Andy Grotelueschen who played the role of Cinderella’s ugly step sisters, as well as the two charming princes.
“I think the play was great. It was very similar to the movie; which I also enjoyed; besides a few minor details. The play was very entertaining to watch and had some funny moments,” junior Gillian Paolotti said.
On top of the interesting play, the stage design was a site to see. The stage was decorated with the insides of pianos off to the side and ropes in the background to act as the woods. The play was stripped down to the bare minimum. It was more about the emotions and acting than having extravagant props.
These props were also simple and stripped down to the bare minimum. For example, the tree that marked the grave of Cinderella’s mother was represented by an old seamstresses mannequin and birds were created by music sheets.
This play was packed with songs. There were 23 musical numbers in total. Some of the more popular songs were Into the Woods, I Know Things Now, Agony, Your Fault/Last Midnight, and Boom Crunch.
“My favorite song was definitely “The Witch’s Rap”, it had such an awesome beat and it was performed very well,” junior Alyssa Striano said.
Into the Woods is an escape from reality. It will leave the audience breathless and wanting more. More importantly, it teaches the audience the importance of what a person wishes and hopes for might not turn out exactly as planned, and there may be consequences to face in the end.
“I feel the trip was a success. I always feel grateful for the opportunity to bring my students to Broadway. It’s great to connect my previous life as an actor to my life as a teacher. We also have lots of aspiring actors here at WJPS, and it’s great to expose them to all types of theatre on and off Broadway,” drama teacher Mr. Petrotta said.
