"Into the Woods" is a story written by James Lapine containing multiple fairytales that will be performed by FPAC (Farrington Performing Arts Center).
Written by James Lapine, with music and song lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, this famous 1987 musical won Tonys for Best Score, Best book, and Best actress in a Musical in 1988. "Into the Woods" is about a baker and his wife who go on a journey to reverse a curse that a witch placed on them. The purpose of the journey is to finally make their wish come true: to have a child of their own.
“It’s mainly more of grief and just being there for one another. The characters eventually work together to save their world from destruction." Issac Liu Farrington High School Student (c/o24)
While in the woods, they come across other fairytale characters such as Cinderella, Jack from "Jack and the Beanstalk", and Little Red Riding Hood. Miguel Cadoy, a staff member who has supported FPAC (Farrington Performing Arts Center), states, “It is a cool story that brings these stories [fairytales] together in one plot.”
The interactions between the characters have created common themes that can be seen throughout the story, such as life, love, and loss. Issac Liu, one of the main cast members of "Into the Woods" states, “The main takeaway from this musical is family, it’s trust, it’s love, it’s understanding that if you lose someone in life, there are ways to cope with it. You have people there for you.”
Each of the characters have a wish. Jack desperately wants his cow Milky White to provide him with milk so he doesn’t have to sell her, and Cinderella dreams of attending the king’s ball and to be free from her cruel stepmother and step-sisters.
Along with the main characters of the story, come the antagonists of the story. They play key roles in the musical and represent the thoughts in our minds that have a negative impact on us. Characters such as Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood are damsels in distress showcasing the victim role we play from time to time in our own lives.
All of their tales and many of the other fairy tales lead them to the woods and become intertwined. Many of their dreams and wishes come true but their happiness comes with consequences. Liu states, “It’s mainly more of grief and just being there for one another. The characters eventually work together to save their world from destruction."
Just like the characters of "Into the Woods", the team has also faced challenges of their own. Liu states, “Because this musical is written by Sondheim, he’s known for a lot of his complicated works and the big challenge that we had was definitely songs that were either too quick or too fast.” Liu also mentions that as a team they had to rely on one another, similar to a trust fall. Cadoy and FPAC have learned to overcome these challenges and hope that the audience will appreciate the hard work and preparation that they have put into this performance.
The team wishes that whoever comes to watch the show will be engulfed in the story, support the program, and most importantly enjoy the experience.