WILL KARR
Life & Arts Editor
From the story of Little Red Riding Hood, to the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, many fairy tales have been passed down to children from generation to generation. James Lapine’s and Stephen Soudheim’s “Into the Woods” embeds multiple children stories into one single narrative.
“[Into the Woods] weaves together timeless fairy tales from our youth and takes them into different endings, capturing elements of wishing, responsibility, family and community with great wit, moving lyrics and music,” said Paul Mackovak, the director of the Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance production of “Into the Woods.”
The department will kick off the 2022-23 Walter Gloor Mainstage Series with six performances of the musical “Into the Woods,” from Oct. 21 to 29 at the Marvel Theatre in the Rockefeller Arts Center. The showtimes are Oct. 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., with a special matinee on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.
“Into the Woods” is framed around the story of a baker and his wife. The pair set out to reverse a curse that was cast on them by a witch, Rapunzel’s mother; the spell prevents them from having a child. In order to reverse the curse of infertility, the enchantress sends them out on a quest to retrieve her four different items: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, a yellow lock of hair and a glistening glass slipper.
“In Act I, it is clear what [the baker and his wife] want and what they have to do to get it. Of course, there’s obstacles along the way. In Act II, all the things they did to get what they want are all coming back to bite them,” said senior musical theatre major Makenzie Bush, who will play the innocent and youthful Little Red Riding Hood in the production.
In the story, the baker and his wife’s journey soon brings them into contact with classic fairytale characters such Jack Spriggins, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella.
While the pair wish to have a child, Cinderella wishes to attend the King’s Festival, Jack wishes for his cow to produce milk and Rapunzel wishes to be rescued from her tower. Although each character’s wishes are granted, many implications still result. Each character’s individualistic actions and pursuits create consequences for the whole group. The characters blame each other for their circumstances in the musical number “Your Fault.”
“I think what makes ‘Your Fault’ such a successful number is that everybody is accusing everybody else, but everybody makes a valid point. You can accuse anyone, but they all have reasonings for why they did what they did. It is kind of everyone’s fault at the end of the day,” said junior musical theater major Zach Liddick, who will play Cinderella’s father.
By the end of the film, the disparate characters must join forces and work together.
“For me, at its core, [‘Into the Woods’], is about finding a family where there is no blood connection,” Bush said. “[For example], Little Red has lost everybody and she is clinging to who she sees as motherly and fatherly figures.”
Bush is from Arizona and briefly attended Daemen College before transferring to Fredonia. She said that she is excited to take on a leading role as she has previously been cast in more supporting roles.
“Looking back, I remember when it was extremely frustrating to be cast as an understudy, where I didn’t get to be on stage to do any of it,” Bush said. “… But the value that I got from those experiences was that they stressed the importance of watching others and how much you can learn.”
Bush is now ready for her turn in the main spotlight. “Into the Woods” will mark a leading role for Bush on the Mainstage, as she said she has done a lot of understudying in past productions. In her high school’s production of the musical, she played Cinderella. She explained how Little Red Riding Hood differs from other female roles she has occupied
“All the other roles I have understudied for and [played] in the past were adult women, so playing Little Red has been a lot of fun,” Bush said. “… It has been very cathartic and healing for my inner child, just to let those ridiculous sides of me come out. In everyday life, you suppress your imagination. … You have to be mature and professional … [so] it’s a lot of fun to be pouty.”
Unlike Bush, senior musical theatre major Margot Mills will be playing a maternal role: Cinderella’s evil stepmother.
“I have a lot of fun playing characters that people do not like because the actor has the challenge of finding something they like about them. I like the stepmother’s authoritative personality,” Mills said. “… I am very much strong willed and I know what I want.”
Mills is from the Bronx, and the last time they performed in a full musical was during high school. Mills described booking the role in “Into the Woods” as the culmination of their time at Fredonia.
“I am surprised that I even made it to my senior year,” Mills said. “… My dad passed away five days before my freshman year and then I left for college.” Mills can’t fathom how they were able to push through to senior year.
“You have to be such a strong person to go through what [Margot] has gone through,” said Liddick. Liddick is from Buffalo. Although Liddick said that his character is not in very many scenes, he is extremely grateful to be involved.
“I’ve never been in a show where my role has been small enough that I get to watch the show and it comes together,” Liddick said. “… The most fruitful thing that I have taken from this rehearsal process is watching my friends grow and learning from them. I’ve learned more about my own creative process from watching the show come together, rather than the four or five scenes I am in.”
Bush, Liddick and Mills believe that theatergoers will ultimately be able to take away valuable lessons from the production.
“The biggest theme at the end of the film is to be careful of the things that you say because children are listening,” Bush said. “Whatever example you set for the youth of today, they’ll grow up to maybe one day mirror that.”
Tickets for “Into the Woods” are available at the Ticket Office in the Williams Center by phone at 716-673-3501 or online at fredonia.edu/tickets.
