This month, the Robbinsville High School Raven Players will look at what happened “Once upon a time” with their spring musical Into the Woods. The Tony Award-winning show, featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, will be performed at Robbinsville High School on April 4, 5 and 6.
Into the Woods weaves together the plots of several classic fairy tales, including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, in addition to an original account of a baker and his wife who have been cursed with childlessness by a witch and are trying to have a baby. The musical examines what happens after the supposedly “happily ever after” endings of these tales and the consequences of getting what you’ve wished for.
David Westawski, the director of choral activities at Robbinsville High School and one of the show’s directors, says that Into the Woods was selected for several reasons. One of these is that it has several female leads. Westawski said that when choosing a show, he looks at who he thinks might be part of the cast and how to showcase as many of the students as possible. Into the Woods was a fitting choice this year, he says, because, Robbinsville has an“incredible number of talented girls in the program.”
Westawski said he likes to expose students to an assortment of shows throughout their four years of high school. After upbeat performances like last year’s 9 to 5 and Thoroughly Modern Millie the year before, he was looking for a more serious piece. By exploring the dark underbelly of well-known fairy tales, this year’s piece fulfills that condition.
Westawski said the heavy nature of the show can be challenging for high school students.
“Part of our role as directors is to help them see connections and find a deeper meaning within themselves,” he said.
Although the message of the show might be difficult to process, the young actors find their characters completely relatable.
“You see yourself in all the characters, that’s what so great about the show,” said Kristen Kozma, who will be playing Cinderella.
Kozma, a senior who has been active in school productions since middle school and plans to major in musical theatre in college, says that Into the Woods displays a completely different side to Cinderella.
“She’s kind of quirky, really lost,” she said. “You see she’s a real person, not an intangible princess.”
Chelsea Sardoni, who will be playing the Baker’s Wife, said the show also amps up the degree of difficulty for the performers. Next year, Sardoni will be attending Westminster Choir College in Princeton to study music education.
“This show is like none other I’ve ever done,” Sardoni said. “The music is the hardest musical theatre repertoire I’ve had to attempt ever.”
Both Kozma and Sardoni acknowledged that the show has a very dark nature. Sardoni says that Into the Woods isn’t a toe tapper like last year’s 9 to 5. She thinks that the audience might expect a fantastical play about fairy tales to be pleasant, but from the first chord of the show, “a dissonant, awful chord,” it’s clear that isn’t the case.
“In this show, the reality is that there’s no happy ending,” Kozma said.
Into the Woods will feature a cast of 34. In addition to Kozma and Sardoni, the show stars Brian Malabunga as the Baker, Natalia Maccaroni as the Witch, Karaline Rosen as Little Red Riding Hood, Sarah Williams as Rapunzel and Andrew Malabunga as Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk.
There will be four performances: April 4 at 7:30 p.m., April 5 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and April 6 at 3 p.m. Into the Woods will be performed in the Robbinsville High School auditorium located at 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg Road. Tickets, which are $10 for students and seniors and $12 for adults, are available for purchase in advance by calling the Into the Woods ticket hotline at (609) 632-0950, ext. 3111 or online at rhsintothewoods.com. They will also be available at the door 30 minutes prior to show time.
–Aliza Alperin-Sheriff
