Throw half a dozen fairytales, 18 actors with beautiful voices, and 14 musicians into Cohen Auditorium, and watch the magic unfold. This weekend, Torn Ticket II presents Steven Sondheim's Into the Woods, directed by senior Tom Damassa with musical directors senior Yeechin Huang and sophomore Tim Nelson. It's a performance filled with cleverness, absurdity, laughs, bittersweet moments, and buckets of juxtaposition that form an incredible show about the pursuit of happiness.
The story is simple. Little Red Riding Hood is on her way to grandmother's house. Cinderella wants to go to the ball. A spell has been cast on a baker and his wife, leaving them childless. Jack (of beanstalk fame) has only one friend - a cow. Cinderella's mother's ghost lives in a tree. Two horny princes just keep running into each other in the woods. A witch wants to be young again and makes the baker and his wife acquire ingredients for a spell. And that's only the first act - okay, so maybe the story isn't so simple after all.
Plot twists further complicate the story, taking happily-ever-after endings to new levels by adding the typical Sondheim angle of darkness. Though the first act serves nicely as a children's musical, the addition of the ominous second act heightens the conclusion and retells the fairytale stories with an aura of defeat.
Torn Ticket II is the musical theatre group that brought the Zombie Prom to Balch Arena Theatre and Hair to Alumni Lounge last semester. The sassy Kate Goldberg, who stole Zombie Prom as Miss Strict, returns as a hilarious, manipulative, and powerful witch - a part originated on Broadway by Bernadette Peters. The Witch's role is demanding, requiring a big voice as well as strong comedic acting abilities.
Kat Mulready's angelic voice of Toffee is now that of Cinderella, who runs away from princes and talks to birds. Mike Robb and Dan Balkin play those princes who sing of their "Agony" with great pathos.
Those interested in the music will get their money's worth with the Baker's Wife's beautiful solos sung by Suzanne Corbette (Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Scarecrow in Oz). Vanessa Schiff as Little Red Riding Hood provides just the right amount of spunk to keep the audience chuckling. For general silliness, Mike LaFazia entertains with a foolish Jack. So many characters, so much interaction, the show keeps going and going without losing impetus, though often changing direction.
The play's scenery places the audience directly in the woods. Jennifer Bien's funny-shaped houses and caricature of a cow show a distorted world - a true fairy tale kingdom. Costumes distinguish each set of character's worlds, courtesy of Chris Gibson. The nobility features renaissance fashion, the poor baker and wife dress in simple brown tones, while Jack and his mother have mismatched clothes for their eccentric personalities.
The musical presents many vocal and technical challenges, and the fact that the undergraduates in the cast are able to master complex Sondheim melodies is a testament to the enormous talent and dedication of Tufts students. The pit orchestra, under the expert direction of Nelson, is also first rate and makes sense of often dissonant chord progressions and syncopated rhythms.
"Wishes may bring problems, such that you regret them," sings the cast at the beginning of second act. "Better that though, than to never get them." This lyric sums up the overall sentiment of Into the Woods, incorporating a microcosmic world filled with surprises and changes. The show is a classic that musical lovers should not miss, and promises to be a performance you will not regret watching.
Gauging by how fast Zombie Prom sold out, students interested in seeing the show should hurry over to the box office in Aidekman. $7 tickets for 8 p.m. shows today and tomorrow are still available.
