Somerville High School’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods will be performed on February 4, 5, and 6 at the Somerville High School Auditorium. — Logo design by Dylan Alvarado

By Jessica Kenney

Somerville High School will be performing their production of the musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The film version of the Broadway hit Into the Woods premiered in theaters on December 25, 2014. The story is about a baker and his wife who are left childless due to a curse from a once-beautiful witch. Three days before the blue moon, the husband and wife venture into the forest in order to find the ingredients that will reverse the spell and grant the witch her beauty once again. The ingredients are a milk-white cow, hair as yellow as corn, a blood-red cape, and a slipper made of gold. During their trip “into the woods”, they come across Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack. Each of these characters is on a mission to fulfill a wish.

Somerville High School offers regular courses in music and drama, and also gives students the opportunity to participate in the spring and fall musicals, the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Northeastern District Chorus, Orchestra, and Band and Jazz Ensemble. They also present full- length and one-act plays and compete in the annual Drama Festival competition held in March.

The Somerville High School Music Department produces a full-scale Broadway musical each year, which provides opportunities for student performers, musicians, publicists, technicians, set and costume designers, make-up artists, and more. The students are actively involved in rehearsals for about half a year. Broadway veterans have come back to Somerville High to assist in these productions, and professional musicians play in their pit.

The director of Somerville High’s production of Into the Woods, Charles Jabour, said that there were many things considered when deciding on a musical to produce. He stated, “We want to select something that we know will attract an audience, celebrate the diversity of our student body, and truly really engage the students involved in the production.”

The students and faculty who work to put these productions together have been working diligently on their recent production of Into the Woods. Their director stated, “The cast and technical crew have surpassed our already high expectations of them. This is an incredibly challenging play for anyone to do, let alone students who are also juggling school work, part- time jobs, college applications, and family obligations, but each day they all arrive at rehearsal with an energy and enthusiasm that is really inspiring.”

When asked about why they chose this play, Mr. Jabour said, “In the case of Into the Woods, we’re really telling a story about what it means to grow up and make the distinction between well-defined fantasy and a more nuanced reality. I think that is something that our students can really relate to…this will likely be a very different version of into the woods than you have experienced on stage or in the movie theater.”

The performance dates for Into the Woods are Thursday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, February 5 at 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday, February 6 at 2:00 p.m. All shows are at the Somerville High School Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.ticketstage.com. There is a $1.50 convenience fee per ticket.