Stevens students packed DeBaun Auditorium to see Stevens Dramatic Society’s (SDS) rendition of Into the Woods. The musical was directed by Mia Preziosi, who was able to bring the show to life for three spectacular performances from April 3 to 5.
Into the Woods is a 1987 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, which was later adapted into a Walt Disney film in 2014 starring the likes of Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp. The musical tells a beautiful story, tying together a handful of the Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales to create a complex web of wishes, quests, and consequences.
DeBaun created a perfect atmosphere for the show: Colored lights changed throughout the performance to set the mood, and the music sounded loudly through the whole building. The theater provided an intimate space in which the audience felt like they were a part of the musical, especially when the actors entered the aisles in key scenes.
The cast executed their roles perfectly, fully embodying their characters and telling a story worth listening to. The musical was led by Christian Fodor and Carly Teitelbaum, who portrayed the baker and his wife, respectively. The chemistry between the two leads had audiences engrossed in their characters’ story and their longing for a child. They are confronted by the evil witch, played by Sofia Lopez—though her true identity isn’t revealed until the end. She does an excellent job keeping the mystery alive and building suspense leading up to the reveal.
There were a handful of double acts from Matthew Dean, Kalman Zold, Rose Friedman, and Kai Goz, all of whom demonstrated a wide range of acting ability. Dean doubled as the charming prince for Cinderella and the big bad wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood,” Zold as Rapunzel’s mystery prince and the mysterious man that follows the characters around throughout the musical, Friedman as Lucinda—one of Cinderella’s evil step sisters—and the granny that ultimately gets eaten by the big bad wolf, and Goz as the prince’s steward that follows him around and Cinderella’s father, who makes a brief appearance.
Humor was delivered by Hannah Goldschmidt as a young, dense Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk,” who just wanted his cow, Milky White, to make milk, and Jordan Baluyot as Jack’s mother. Through their witty mother-son relationship, they were able to provide comedic relief when it seemed other characters were struggling. Bringing Cinderella and Rapunzel to life was Valerie Calligy and Sydney Chaca, who successfully captured the lives of the princesses. Right alongside them was Nicole Cheung as her funny and almost adorable portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood; That is, until a switch up later in the musical, in which she undergoes a change in character and stops being so adorable, carrying around a pocket knife.
There were additional efforts to fill out the story from Leia Magette as Florinda—Cinderella’s other evil stepsister—Madeleina Gorri as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, and Taylor Terry as the giant. There was an assortment of songs throughout the musical with fabulous vocals and instrumentals, including one sung by Dean and Zold as the princes, about pining after the princesses of the show which had the audience laughing and cheering by the end of it. Tying the story together was Ryan Grigoletto as the narrator. Aside from just describing the details of the story, he added jokes that filled the musical with humor and the auditorium with laughter.
The excellent performance put on by the actors has Stevens’ students waiting to see what the SDS’s next show will be. With the amazing cast and crew, we can bet whatever show or musical they choose to put on, it will be one worth seeing.
