Countryside Community Theatre's “Into the Woods" at North Scott High School -- July 28 through August 6.
Friday, July 28, through Sunday, August 6
North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium, 200 South First Street, Eldridge IA
A beloved Stephen Sondheim masterpiece whose most recent Broadway return earned the show a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical last month, the fairytale tragicomedy Into the Woods completes Countryside Community Theatre's 2023 season, its July 28 through August 6 run demonstrating why this consistent awards magnet and critical smash was lauded by Variety magazine as a show that “brilliantly hits every hilarious or somber note it needs to.”
“Be careful what you wish for” is a primary ongoing theme in this modern classic inspired by the Brothers Grimm. Into the Woods follows the Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to go the King’s Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give some milk. When the Baker and his wife are visited by the neighborhood Witch, who reveals to them that she placed a curse on their family, the two set off on a journey into the woods to reverse the curse. Also in the woods, we meet Little Red, who is trying to visit her grandmother; the Wolf, who loves tasty little girls; the Witch’s daughter Rapunzel; and the Princes chasing after their loves. By the end of Act I, everyone has gotten their wish and will seemingly live happily ever after. But in Act II, when Jack’s beanstalk brings them a visit from an angry Giant, we see how the consequences of their actions haunt them in disastrous ways. Consequently, the community must come together to save each other and their kingdom, but sacrifices must also be made.
Directing Into the Woods for Countryside is area-theatre favorite and frequent Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse performer Tom Walljasper (Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, Disney's Beauty & the Beast), and featured among his cast are A.J. Weber (the Baker), Megan Warren (the Baker's Wife), Krianna Walljasper (Little Red Riding Hood), Jenny Winn (the Witch), Emily Winn (Cinderella), Casey Scott (Jack), Topher Elliott (the Wolf), Dave Bonde (the Mysterious Man), and, as the singing princes in “Agony,” Croiz Baker and David Wilkinson. Christopher Tracy (Max Bialystock in the Spotlight Theare's The Producers) serves as Into the Woods' narrator, while the ensemble's talents are completed by Aaron Baker, Olivia Earnest, Bonite Howes, Mya Kelsey, Janeen Mack, Sofia Magalhaes, Sophia Marmion, James O'Connor, Lisa Oliger, Lucy Petersen, Ally Sonsnowski, Amira Siddique, Joie Stoefen, and Katherine Zerull.
Countryside Community Theatre's Into the Woods runs at the North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium July 28 through August 6, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $16, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CountrysideQC.org.
