Review of Into the Woods (A Galloway Production)
Galloway debuted the spring musical Into the Woods, an award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim. This musical combines fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk. The main plot of the musical is that the characters venture into the woods in hopes of fulfilling their wishes, but they are met with many obstacles and consequences along the way.
To start, the musical had a run time of about two hours and thirty minutes, with one intermission in between. Two hours and thirty minutes was far too long; the first half concluded the story wonderfully, while the second half felt almost unnecessary. Junior, Brooke Ryan shared her opinion on this matter: “The production of the musical was amazing this year, yet the second half felt dragged on and slightly hard to follow.” This opinion seems to be common amongst students who watched the musical. The ambition to try to match the Broadway production is admirable from everyone, but the unnecessarily long second half gave us, and everyone else around us, a sense of readiness for this musical to conclude.
On a brighter note, the highlight of this production was easily the acting. Almost everyone did a phenomenal job playing their designated roles. A few standout performances from each grade level that really captured the audience were Ben Campbell, 12th, as the Baker, Kyndal Townes, 11th, as the Witch, and Wolf Mchezaji, 10th, as Jack. These three in particular adopt their roles outstandingly. Ben brings his Broadway-style presence to the stage with strong vocals and confident delivery, making his performance standout as he leads the production. Kyndal stands out for her ability to shift personas, moving seamlessly from a dark, aging witch to a commanding, glamorous, alternative version of the character. Finally, Wolf delivers a strong comedic performance as Jack; his sense of comedy timing consistently engages the audience and brings energy to every scene he is in. In addition, the two princes, Maxwell Carter, 9th, as Cinderella’s Prince, and Aiden Sherman, 9th, as Rapunzel’s Prince, brought strong chemistry to the stage. Their interactions felt natural and well-timed, showing their strong dynamic together. Their shared scenes added both humor and personality, helping elevate some of the most memorable moments of the production. Senior, Dominic Louis-Pierre, was a massive fan of everyone's performance; he said, “Everyone involved in the play did great; they all played their roles perfectly. The actors really showed how they got into their designated roles through the emotion they portrayed throughout the musical.” Everyone seems to be on the same page that the actors did an outstanding job. Other students, Maya McGinley, Sydney Waller, and Sophia Artigue, all 11th, did a phenomenal job in their roles, keeping the audience engaged. Each one of these students truly brought their characters to life with strong emotion, passion, and confidence. Their singing was equally impressive, as each note, delivered perfectly, blended into the performance. Together, these students created a spectacle that left a memorable impression on the audience.
Finally, one last highlight was the props and scenery designed and used throughout the musical. The set and props that were used helped the audience to feel more immersed in the story. From scene to scene, these handmade props showed the creativity of the production team. One example of this was Jai'Nye Beauford, who was a prop cow in the production. Her performance was unique and stood out from the rest of the actors. Although most of the shine is usually passed to the actors, the production team, led by Spencer Orthwein, did a fantastic job with the behind-the-scenes work. As a result, the props and scenery helped to tie the entire performance together, creating a more engaging and thrilling experience for the audience.
Overall, this play was beautifully directed, reflecting the Galloway production team outstandingly. Even with the incredibly long run-time, the effort put into the acting, scenery, props, and everything else cannot go unnoticed. The production shows a clear level of commitment and preparation from the cast and crew. While the second half could have been shortened to improve pacing, the strength of the performances and the attention to detail kept the audience engaged throughout. This musical stands as a strong example of talent within Galloway’s theatre program, setting a high standard for future Galloway productions.