Aragon Drama put on its fall musical “Into the Woods” from Nov. 19 to Nov. 23. In the musical, fairy tale characters join forces to fight giants. Stephen Sondheim wrote the musical and drama teacher Shane Smuin directed it.
Smuin comments that the performance improved after every show. “It is an incredibly challenging show and I was very pleasantly surprised to see that each performance improved in one way or another,” he says.
When deciding on the fall musical, Smuin explains, “I always likes to do something we haven’t done. I’ve always loved ‘Into the Woods’ and based on the pool of actors, I thought we could pull it off.”
Describing the traits of this year’s cast that helped them perform “Into the Woods,” Smuin says, “[They are] smart, willing to work hard, have good to great singing voices, a sense of humor and some acting skill.”
Casting for the fall musical began during the second week of school and rehearsing started just before Labor Day. “There were many long rehearsals and there was a lot of time spent nailing down really small things because this musical is very intricate,” senior John Graham says.
Senior Regina Wen, who played the witch, adds, “This is definitely our most difficult and challenging musical, not just musically, but emotionally, because there is such a wide range of things to think about and things to act and things to sing, but I really do love this musical.”
Every performer has his or her own approach to get into character. Senior Kelsey O’Donnell, the baker’s wife, says, “She’s really interesting because she has a lot of moral dilemmas that she goes through. At first I didn’t really understand [the character’s] thought process, but it’s been really interesting to get into her mind.”
Wen, the witch, approaches her character slightly differently. She explains, “I get to be both ugly and beautiful on the outside and have a physicality that is totally different in two different acts, while the core of my character is very similar. I looked at the inner parts of this character and the background and the motivation for doing different things.”
When the Disney movie comes out on Dec. 25, Wen is especially excited to see how her character turns out. “I’m looking forward to seeing Meryl Streep portray the witch and seeing what she does with the role,” says Wen.
However, Wen also keeps in mind that the Disney adaptation will differ from Smuin’s interpretation, and by extension, the original Broadway musical.
“I think that the movie, from what I can tell from the trailer, is going to be a lot darker, more intense and dramatic, than the original Broadway musical,” says Wen. “The original was very light and humorous. Smuin adapted it from stage to stage, so he made the feeling and the tone of the show more unique.”
For example, Smuin emphasizes the baker’s child in the finale, making it somber yet hopeful. “The original Broadway finale was faster and happier, but Smuin changed it from fast and bright to slow and acapella, and the Baker is the only singer at the end. It’s supposed to be a lullaby with the baby, and that was Smuin’s own idea. I like [how he] put more emphasis on the baby, which is a continuation of the play, like looking towards the future,” says Wen.
