The movie “Into the Woods” recalled memories for the cast of ULM’s recent production of the musical.
The School of Visual and Performing Arts presents a musical each spring. The department selected Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” to enchant audiences during its four-day run in April 2014.
The Broadway-inspired musical integrates the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Though it follows multiple familiar characters’ journeys, the musical is tied together by the story of a baker and his wife who wish to start a family despite a witch’s curse.
The couple meets these characters such as Cinderella, Jack and Rapunzel along the way as unfortunate events cure the characters’ traditional “happy endings” with doses of reality.
Claire Givens, a recent musical theatre graduate, performed as Little Red Riding Hood in ULM’s production.
Though she has not seen the movie yet, Givens said the ads for the movie made her want to get the ULM cast back together and go on a touring show of the musical.
“I would say I’m very excited to make the trek back to Monroe to see my friends in the next musical at ULM which also has a film to accompany it,” Givens said.
The film released on Christmas Day includes Hollywood stars such as Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick and Meryl Streep. Since its release, the film became a box-office hit with almost $100 million in ticket sales.
Benjamin McQuillin, a sophomore vocal music education major, performed the role of Jack in ULM’s production of “Into the Woods.”
The combination of the fairytale backdrop and witty banter made “Into the Woods” more than “just a musical” to McQuillin.
The cast learned two weeks into their rehearsals that a movie version of “Into the Woods” would be released.
McQuillin said this pushed the cast to make the production “that much better” in the hopes of “opening the way” for those unfamiliar with Sondheim’s award-winning musical.
“The show is transcendent, making you question everything you know about life and death, betrayal and love, society and family,” McQuillin said.
McQuillin called the cast a family and credited the “astounding crew and directors” including Robin Stephens, director and choreographer, Jason Rinehart, musical director as well as Deborah Chandler who conducted the orchestra alongside Julian Jones.
The final curtain closing caused McQuillin to feel “empty.” He said he often talked about reuniting the cast to see the movie or to perform a number from the show. McQuillin said the production lived on in their hearts even after going separate ways at the semester’s end.
After months passed, McQuillin watched the movie that “wasn’t just a movie” for him.
“The movie wasn’t about comparing the stage show and the movie. It was about the realization of so many dreams and casts all over the world,” McQuillin said.
McQuillin also called the movie written by James Lapine the culmination of 20 years of hard work for many actors across the globe and “everything [he] could have hoped for.”
“From the opening number with its bouncing rhythm and overlapping singing to the final number in ‘No One Is Alone,’ the movie was astounding,” McQuillin said.
McQuillin’s only “quarrel” with the movie was the removal of select songs, but he said that was to be expected. He said the movie made the hard work of the production seem worth it.
“As if now we could finally see what those in the audience had seen in April,” McQuillin said.