"Take A Trip “Into The Woods” By Melina J. Iacovone Iacovone is a G.H.S. alumni (Class of 1982), and a former
Scitamard Pit Band member
“Into the Woods” is a play by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine that mixes familiar fairy tales, adds some twists and turns, and brings them all together to teach one big moral lesson: happily ever after comes with a price. The Gloversville High School Scitamard production of “Into the Woods” captures the spirit of the story and adds its own magic to the production.
The complexities of this show are a difficult task for even professional actors to take on which is why I am in awe of the fact that the Gloversville High School cast performs this play flawlessly. The unity of the actors played against gorgeous sets and wonderful music create an enjoyable theatrical experience.
Most of the scenes take place in a wooded area where the characters cross paths and their stories intertwine. The six main fairy tale characters – the Baker (Michael Danise), the Baker’s Wife (Amanda Peterson), Cinderella (Alaina Peterson), Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk)(Stephen Crouch), Little Red Riding Hood (Nichole Burkus) and the Witch (Devan Rowe) are the principles in the story.
Danise as the Baker is at the epicenter of the action; he and his wife hunt around in the woods to find articles that will remove a curse placed on them by a witch. Danise captures the character’s sadness and frustration with gentle refinement and dignity. He performs the role with a commendable mix of maturity and depth that transcends well beyond his years.
Danise shares most of his scenes with Amanda Peterson who performs the role of the Baker’s Wife. Peterson gives the character a warm vitality and quirkiness that is sometimes funny and sometimes sad but always stays true to the core of her character. Like Danise, there is a strong underlying layer of maturity that Peterson reveals that is very impressive for someone of her age and experience.
Alaina Peterson is Cinderella, the fabled heroine who wins over the prince at the king’s ball. Peterson’s portrayal of Cinderella is lovely and graceful. She is able to tap into the emotional hopelessness of being the downtrodden maiden and then to the joy of being a princess and back to the sadness of her fabled prince going astray in the second act. Her singing is as pretty as her ball gown and golden slippers.
Stephen Crouch is Jack. Jack is the somewhat dim boy who takes stock in magic beans much to his mother’s dismay. Crouch’s job is to make Jack a loveable but not-too-bright boy whose innocence is in direct conflict with his mother. He hits that mark superbly. Crouch plays Jack with the required innocence and strength called for by the demands of the songs and script, yet maintains the docile quality of an unsung shy hero.
Nichole Burkus, a senior and veteran of the GHS stage, is Red Riding Hood. I always enjoy watching Burkus perform since she does so with such ease and confidence. She is a very sweet Red Riding Hood, but with an edge that is surprising. She has consistently added her own personal touch to the characters she’s played throughout her years in Scitamard. As Red Riding Hood, Burkus gives the wide-eyed, skipping girl a sense of power and sarcasm that is refreshing. She is a talented singer and actress who has consistently added depth and dimension to her performances.
Devan Rowe, another senior and veteran of the GHS stage, is the Witch. Rowe has proven herself time after time in many Scitamard productions to be a powerful force on stage. I have had the pleasure of watching Rowe refine her acting throughout her stage career and this role, being her final performance, is spectacular. Rowe’s interpretation of the witch is wonderful to watch; her range is awesome easing from campy cackling to touching poignancy in her scenes with Rapunzal (well played by Autumn Carey.)
Two other senior Scitamard veterans are also featured in “Into the Woods” – Nicole Carey (Narrator) and Courtney Lehan (Jack’s mother.) Carey’s final appearance on the GHS stage as the Narrator showcases her talent as a singer and an actress. As the Narrator, she is meant to be physically removed from the action in the woods, yet Carey’s presence on the stage certainly does not go unnoticed. She is responsible for bridging the characters to the action; she guides the audience through the story and does so with the confidence that four years on the stage has given her.
Lehan rounds out the veteran actors with her performance as Jack’s mother. She is also well versed in her delivery with a strong command of the stage. She has the timing of a seasoned actress and the ingrained ability to connect with her character, bringing life to it and nurturing her performance to perfection. Lehan is a very talented young woman who gives an excellent performance as Jack’s exasperated mother, making the role funny and tragic at the same time.
The first act tells each familiar tale to completion: Cinderella and Rapunzal get their princes, the Baker and his Wife get their wish, Jack slays the Giant at the top of the beanstalk and the witch’s curse is broken and she’s beautiful again. What Sondheim does in the second act, however, is expand on the “ever after” and goes on to add a dose of realism to the characters’ would-be “happy” endings.
Most of the play is told through songs. The lyrics tell the story; there is not a lot of dialogue. Some of the lyrics are hilarious, most notably “Agony” as sung by the two princes (James DeSantis and Michael Johnson) where they lament over the difficulties of finding their true loves (Cinderella and Rapunzal in the first act, and the reprise in act two over Sleeping Beauty and Snow White respectively.) Cinderella also has a very funny song describing how the prince tried to stop her from running from him in “On the Steps of the Palace.” Though some of the songs are very funny, there are also moments of great emotion most notably “Stay With Me” sung by the Witch and Rapunzal and the very tense “Your Fault” in which Jack, the Baker, the Witch, Red Riding Hood and Cinderella blame each other for the “ever after” tragedies that occur in the second act.
Patricia Zullo is the conductor of the orchestra. Her work with the musicians is commendable since the musical accompaniment is crucial in this production. Zullo has achieved excellent results with the students, leading them to conquer a professional, award-winning score.
Technically, the play is a visual masterpiece with professionally constructed sets, excellent props, and expert lighting (all under the expert hand of production director, Michael Burnett.) Mary Cassaro managed the costumes that are as visually stimulating as the sets. Cinderella’s ball gown is gorgeous, just as Red Riding Hood’s cape is a vibrant shade of red. Mary Rutnik-Pekins, choreographer, delivers energetic steps apropos to the jubilation found in the woods.
Overall, the play is a beautiful masterpiece on all fronts. Once again Burnett leads the entire cast and crew under his professional direction and makes “Into the Woods” a magical wonderland of sights and sounds. This is a very special play, one that Scitamard will be proud of for years to come.
See “Into the Woods” March 31, April 1-2 at the Gloversville High School auditorium. Tickets are available at the door; curtain is at 8:00 each evening.
