Fairytales cross paths: Notre Dame production of musical ‘Into the Woods’ begins today

"Into the Woods," Notre Dame Regional High School's spring 2017 production, opens tonight. Rapunzel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and more clash in a magical forest where a witch's curse and each character's wish are told through snappy dialogue and complicated musical numbers.

A childless couple, a baker and his wife, go into the woods on a quest to have a child and encounter magical surprises along the way.

The musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, brings together several fairy-tale characters, all of whom have a wish. At the end of Act 1, their wishes are granted, but in Act 2, consequences unfold, sacrifices are made, and the community comes together.

Ellen Seyer, music director, said this show is very demanding.

"There aren't just constant key changes," she said, "but the lyrics are challenging, and spitting them out in the rhythmic patterns [Sondheim] chose, it's tough."

Zoe Koetting, as Rapunzel, Jordan Bass, as Rapunzel's Prince, and Caroline Marshall as the Witch, rehearse a scene in "Into the Woods."

In spite of that difficulty, or maybe because of it, Seyer said the students really rose to the challenge.

"They stepped up way beyond my expectation," she said. "I'm amazed -- they've embraced the show."

Seyer said the students are exacting, even more so than she is.

"Where I say, 'OK, that's good enough,' they tell me 'Not until it's right,'" Seyer said. "... They challenge me to be a better teacher."

Senior Caleb Vetter, who plays the baker, said he's really enjoyed working on the music with the rest of the cast.

Jonathan Kapp, as the Wolf pretending to be Granny, and Holly Reinagel, as Little Red Riding Hood, rehearse a scene in "Into the Woods."

"No matter the skill level, we're all working together," he said, adding the level of complexity meant everyone needed to work together.

One challenge, Vetter said, was bringing levity to some of the play's darker moments. "There are several really dark moments, and lines are thrown in for comedic relief," he said. "If you don't say them just right, they don't come off as funny."

Vetter said he's done a lot of tweaking to make sure his lines come off right.

"People think drama's hard," Vetter said. "Comedy's much harder."

Sophomore Caroline Heckemeyer plays both Cinderella's mother and the giant. Heckemeyer said the challenge for her is the music, since she isn't as strong musically as some of the other actors.

"I have a basic understanding," she said, but timing is key in this production, and that can be difficult.

Heckemeyer said since she's playing two villains, that's also been interesting.

"I'm super proud," Seyer said. "Very happy to have my name on this production."

Seyer said this production of "Into the Woods" is her first.

"For some people, it's their second time," she said, including director Cindy King and pianist Lenny Kuper, who were both involved with Notre Dame's 1991 production of the musical. "But for me, it's brand new."

Tyler Bruns, who plays Jack, is the son of Danna Westrich Bruns, who was assistant director for the 1991 production.

There are several other connections between this production and 1991's, King said.

King said the backdrops, including the trees and large book-shaped set pieces that open into the set's living areas, were the same, borrowed from the same place as in 1991. "Milky White, the cow, is the same, too," King said, gesturing to the life-sized papier-mache cow on casters.

And of course, the show itself is the same.

One major difference is the addition of electronic effects, said Jeff Worley, who is coordinating special effects for the show. Worley said the new sound board Notre Dame added last year has allowed them to take the show all digital.

"We can program the acts, each individual microphone, and we're micing 21 actors -- twice as many as we've ever done," he said. "I don't think we could do it without the upgrades."

Worley said there are a lot of sound effect cues for this show, such as a baby crying, a giant stomping, trees falling and a cow mooing. He said the crew of four students really brought it together.

"When the show goes, two are running the board, one's on a laptop hitting cues for the cow or the baby, and the sound manager is calling cues from the script."

Worley said timing is critical for this show, especially since Sondheim's lyrics and music are layered in tightly with dialogue and action.

With the new sound board, Worley said, they were able to add in vocal effects, like reverb and delay.

"The voice of the giant is really big and booming," Worley said. "... The crew members aren't on stage, but they're every much a part of the performance as anyone else."

Freshman Gigi Merideth helped record several of the effects, she said, including the giant's steps.

"It's really fun," she said, adding she recorded the giant footsteps by climbing onto a cardboard barrel backstage and stepping on it in slow motion while Worley recorded.

"I thought for sure I'd fall in the barrel," Merideth said. But she didn't, and after the successful recording, they added effects to add depth to the sound.

"It's been challenging," Worley said, "but it's fun because of the challenge."

Tickets are $10, available at the door or online at notredamehighschool.org.

Performances are at 7 p.m. today through Sunday.

Mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

Notre Dame Regional High School, Cape Girardeau, Mo.