Camping in the woods. It’s how a lot of people spend part of their summer. How about spending a moment in the woods with a witch, two giants, and a few princesses? It’s a fairy tale come true: The Newton Country Players has cast its summer musical Into the Woods.
Once upon a time (in 1988), Stephen Sondheim’s witty music and lyrics and James Lapine’s clever book won three Tony awards: Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical. This fractured fairy tale begins with a band of players telling the same stories they’ve told over and over, only this time, the story doesn’t end the way it usually does (just ask the Narrator). Cinderella, Jack (the one with the beanstalk) and the Baker and his wife all wish for something at the beginning of the performance, but will those wishes be enough to keep them happy by the time the final curtain closes? You’ll want to see this show – to see what happens after Happily Ever After.
The cast hails from all over Massachusetts: Kathleen Comber of Brighton as the Witch, Heather Darrow of Woburn as the Baker’s Wife, Emily Earle of Cambridge as Florinda, Carlos Cardenas of Somerville as the Steward, Susan Johnston of Somerville as Rapunzel, Christine Kasparian of Sharon as Little Red, Julia Lipman of Needham as Jack’s Mother, David Lucey of Melrose as Jack, Cathy Merlo of Wellesley as Cinderella’s Stepmother, Amy Oldenquist of Littleton as Lucinda, Shalia Sakona of Waltham as Cinderella, Ben Sharton of Dedham as the Baker, Tracy Sullivan of Belmont as Granny/Cinderella’s Mother/the Giant, Craig Howard of Billerica as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Brian Vaughn Martel of Dorchester as Cinderella’s Prince/the Wolf, Jared Walsh of Framingham as Rapunzel’s Prince, and Marty West of Stoughton as Cinderella’s Father.
The creative team includes director/choreographer Laura Espy of Newton and musical director Art Finstein of Framingham.
As they say in the show, “Anything can happen in the woods.”
So spend a moment with us: Mark your calendars for August 5-6 and August 12-14. The performance is at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 14; all other performances are at 8 p.m. All performances will take place at MassBay Community College in Wellesley Hills, MA.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors/students. MassBay students with a student ID get in for free. To buy tickets online, go to http://www.newtoncountryplayers.org. You can also make a reservation by calling 617-244-9538 or emailing ncptickets@newtoncountryplayers.org.
“Into the Woods” was originally produced by the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, CA. The original Broadway production was by Heidi Landesman, Rocco Landesman, Rick Steiner, M. Anthony Fisher, Frederic H. Mayerson, and Jujamcyn Theaters. James Lapine directed the original production, which featured orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick.
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