Miami University theater department presents ‘Into the Woods’

Miami University’s theater department presented its annual spring musical from May 1-7. This year, students performed “Into the Woods.”

“Into the Woods” follows the story of the Baker and his wife and their quest to lift the curse of the Witch in order to have a child. Other fairytale characters are featured, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel. Even Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk” make an appearance.

Written by Stephen Sondheim, the songs are often fast-paced and overall difficult to perform, but this cast had no trouble executing it.

This musical tells a heartbreaking story about people’s lives and their children. It follows love, birth, death and grief. In the end, it leaves viewers with a song saying “no one is alone.”

Into the Woods — Photo from Miami University Communications

The show featured Miami students performing music by Sondheim.

Olivia Klenz, a first-year marketing and entrepreneurship major, felt particularly moved by this song.

“I thought it was amazing. I thought all the actors were. I was in shock with how good they were,” Klenz said. “I think my favorite part was the song ‘No One Is Alone,’ it was so good and so sad. I was crying the whole time.”

Beyond the acting and talent of the performers, every aspect of the show was notable. The costumes were unique. Different patterns were printed across each outfit, each personalized to the character.

Other unique aspects were included in the show, specifically projections and puppets. The puppets were used to portray the scene of Little Red Riding Hood being eaten by the Wolf. Projections displayed the different houses and changes in scenery.

Parker Hamrick, a first-year theater major, played Cinderella’s father and was in the ensemble.

“We had an incredible production team,” Hamrick said. “There’s so many people that put so much work into the show, and it turned out very well.”

The set and technical aspects brought the show to life. The lighting depicted storms and lightning, and the projections displayed the same red background every time a character died.

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Teddy Rayhill, a sophomore theater major, played the Baker. He spoke highly of both the cast and the directing teams.

“We had two people from New York. One of them worked on the revival of ‘Into the Woods’ with the puppets,” Rayhill said. “The other one was in the original cast of ‘Heathers,’ so that duo was insane and crazy to work with.”

Every part of the show, from the talent of the cast to the technical professionals, elevated it to the highest level.

After the final bow on the Saturday night show, the cast and crew received a loud standing ovation.

norrisl3@miamioh.edu