It’s the end of January, and students at Parkland Secondary are buckling down for their final exams which start Mon. Jan. 22. The musical theatre and stagecraft students do not have an exam per se, but their production of Into The Woods begins just four days after the exam period, and they too are busy with final preparation.
The musical follows a baker and his wife who are unable to have children because of a witch’s curse on their house, and includes familiar fairy tale characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Jack (of beanstalk fame). The 1986 musical was adapted into a film in 2014.
Director Christine Irving, who teaches fine arts and English, said Into the Woods was one of the most challenging productions the school has put on. Music, written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim (who was involved with Sweeney Todd and West Side Story), accompanies every word of the show and frequently changes keys. The 38-person cast (and 25-person crew) is quite large, and some students play two roles, all of which add to the challenges.
“I was so worried when we first started off, like, looking at the music and the score and wondering how we were going to do this. But we’ve actually managed to pull through and I’m really impressed with the progress we’ve made.” said Ryan Kelly, who plays the Baker.
“Each character has their own style of song and you can hear it in the writings of Sondheim,” Kelly added.
Dallas McNeil, who plays Jack, said “I like how everybody kind of just steps over me, like a pebble on a road.”
“I’m the dim-witted little boy that’s like, ‘Oh, dang, he’s back at it again with his same old tricks.’”
Samantha Wong, also in Grade 10, said she liked the energy of this version of Little Red Riding Hood and how the characters interact with one another. “I think that’s the strongest point of the show.”
Three of the leads are graduating this year.
Issy Sheridan, who plays The Witch, is glad the school chose Into The Woods for her grad year for its challenges and its contrast to her previous roles.
Kelly, the Baker, is glad to have musical as a “little hideaway from all the stress of exams and knowing that it’s your last year and you have to really, really try.”
The Baker’s Wife, played by Jessica Schmidt, said “it’s nice to have something big, like, go out with a bang.”
The show runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, with one Saturday matinee. For tickets and more information, visit parkland.sd63.bc.ca/mod/page/view.php?id=5781
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com