ShowBizRadio

When many fairy tales join together to create one storyline, chaos, laughter, and fear ensue. Marquette High School’s Into the Woods featured impressive acting, singing, and dancing skills that made their performance enjoyable to watch.

Into the Woods is a show that mixes various fairy tales, from Cinderella to Little Red Ridinghood, into one plot. All of the characters must stray into the woods in order to receive what they really want. Performed on Broadway in 1987, Into the Woods has won several Tony Awards and continues to captivate audiences.

The cast of this show worked well together. Their interactions were believable, and most actors stayed in character throughout the entire show. Although energy was high in Act I, it began to decline in Act II. Even so, strong vocals and good diction made the production amusing and pleasant.

The Witch (Paige Woodley) particularly stood out because of her beautiful singing voice and her ability to portray her character well. Both the Baker (Connor Jenkins) and his wife (Mary Baker) also drew attention when on stage. Their harmonies worked well together, and their chemistry was realistic.

Another standout was the Narrator (Lily Fitzgibbon). She did a superb job of telling the story while also reacting to what was going on around her on stage. Little Red Ridinghood (Tara Willey) stole the show with her comedic delivery and great characterization. Cinderella (Gabriella Mancuso) had a great voice that shined especially in the song “On The Steps of The Palace.” The ensemble made the performance come to life with their dancing and singing. Although facial expressions were sometimes lost, emotions were conveyed well.

The use of colored lights in the background added to the storyline, and for the most part, the stage was well-lit. Although sound had a few troubles, actors were still fairly easy to hear. The beautiful set was utilized wonderfully, and props seemed genuine and were used well. The make-up was fantastic, making each character seem larger than life.

Overall, Marquette’s show made for a very lovely evening. It was easy to believe that the actors were taking the audience out of the theatre and into the woods with them.

by Renee Molner of Notre Dame High School