Sydney Jean and Aidan Gildehaus said they got their own fairy tale happy endings when they were cast in the Fox High School Theatre Troupe’s production of “Into the Woods,” which will be performed this Friday through Sunday at Rickman Auditorium, 747 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold.
The two seniors said they fell in love with the musical when they were in elementary school.
“It is a dream of mine to get to do ‘Into the Woods,’” said Gildehaus, 18, of Arnold.
He will play the Baker.
“When I was about 11 years old, it was the first show I auditioned for (at East Central Community College in Union, where he grew up). I didn’t get cast. I remember being so mad and crying because I wanted to do it so bad because I loved the music so much. To get to turn around in my senior year and be the lead in a role I have wanted to play for so long, it is a dream come true.”
Jean has the same kind of adoration for the show.
“Ever since I was little I have been watching this show because they did a Broadway recording of it,” said Jean, 17, of Barnhart.
She will play Cinderella.
“We have begged our directors to do this show because we really wanted it for our senior year. It is so exciting that we get to do it this year. It is exciting to work with this cast. It is a really fun show.”
The musical, written by James Lapine, with music by Stephen Soundheim, will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20; 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21; and 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22.
Tickets cost $7 for students and senior citizens and $10 for adults. Children 4 and younger may attend for free.
While the musical portrays fairy tales about Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, they do not have the familiar, happy endings seen in Disney films, focusing instead on the darker versions of the classic stories as first written by the Brothers Grimm.
“It is not dark just for the sake of being dark. It does try to recapture some of the original darkness of the Grimm fairytales,” said Sam Meyer, Fox High School Theatre Troupe director. “A character doesn’t just die to have a character die. A character dies because that is how they want you to think about the larger theme.”
Meyer said “Into the Woods” is one of the greatest shows produced in the 20th century.
“It is familiar because it is stories you are going to know and recognize,” he said. “It is Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Bean Stalk, Little Red Riding Hood all rolled into one, but it explores them in ways you may never have thought of before, such as what are the greater implications of the stories. It is great for children because they recognize the characters, and for adults, there are parts where they may see a little of themselves in the characters.”
Meyer said the two-act play has a run time of about two hours.
He said the play deals with more mature themes in the second act and recommends young children leave after the first act, which ends on a happier note.
“Some schools only do Act 1 because it is a story everyone knows and is more kid friendly,” Meyer said. “But Act 2 is where Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine are able to explore more mature and modern themes.”
In addition to Gildehaus and Jean, other students with lead roles are senior Zoe Simonds as the narrator, sophomore Alayna McKenzie as Jack, senior Angel Springer as the Baker’s wife, senior Allison Crandall as Little Red Riding Hood and junior Ella Myers as the Witch.
Other cast members include seniors Savannah Tramel, Mason Klotz, Audra Magness, Alisha Phelps and Elise Miller; juniors Alexandra Little, Rachel Rushman, Sarah Monroe, Ev Keys, Zoey Thomas, Peyton Kraus, Kyler Gramlich and Zoey Thomas; sophomores Kirsten Vilcek, Justus Wilson, Zdena Roseberry, Andrew Proctor and Maggie McAllister; and freshmen Gabriel Gullet, Lily Johnston and Ava Vincent.
Tickets may be purchased at the door or through the Theatre Troupe’s page at foxc6.org. For more information email Sam Meyer, Fox High School Theatre Troupe director, at meyers@foxc6.org.