The John Burroughs High School Drama Department presents Into The Woods for three performances from Friday, March 18, through Sunday, March 20, in the Burroughs High auditorium.
Written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Into The Woods won three Tony Awards in 1988 for Best Score (Sondheim), Best Book (Lapine) and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason.) Sondheim’s twist on classic fairy tales follows the adventures of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding-hood as they meet Rapunzel, the baker and his wife, a mysterious man and a mischievous witch while pursuing their dreams.
“But things don’t always work out so perfectly in real life as they do in a fairy tale, and when they start to stray from the path, they learn valuable lessons about wolves, giants, the complexities of life, the difficulties of relationships, and the responsibilities of parenthood.”
“After having to postpone our musical due to the winter surge, our students are more than excited to get back onstage here at Burroughs with our production of Sondheim’s masterpiece Into the Woods,” commented Drama teacher and show director Guy Myers. “The cast is honoring his incredible memory by truly investing in the lyrics and characters, going after their wishes on this fairy tale mash-up adventure!”
“After performing our fall play outdoors in the quad, our tech crew and audiences will be thrilled to join us back in the auditorium for this joyous and thought-provoking evening of musical theatre.”
“Keeping our students and volunteers safe is a high priority as we all get comfortable with some sort of a return to normalcy,” Myers continued. “We are so lucky to have such talent onstage and backstage here at Burroughs, as well as in the orchestra pit.”
“Our conductor, Taylor Arakelian, is working with many student musicians and many professional players acting as mentors for them. Brendan Jennings and Dan Scoville have been working with the cast on the challenging score, and our fantastic choreographer, Jennifer Stanley, has brought such playfulness to the material that you can’t help but smile.”
“I’m so proud of the work we are doing, and hope everyone comes to join us on this musical journey!” he added.
“I am so excited to be in this show and in this role,” commented junior Sophie Pollono, who portrays Cinderella. “Into The Woods was my favorite show growing up. Cinderella has always been a favorite, so this is a total dream come true. This experience has been so fulfilling and I can’t wait to share our hard work with an audience!”
“Into The Woods is just such a wonderful show and I am so happy to get the chance to perform in it,” said junior Kaylor Toronto, who plays Jack. “It is definitely a high school staple, but the beauty of Burroughs drama is that we can elevate this brilliant musical past the standard ‘high school’ level.”
“The cast and crew is so spectacular and it is such a privilege to be in such a supportive environment full of passionate people. Playing Jack is just the best, it is so much fun to sing ‘Giants In The Sky’ but also there’s a lot of depth in his character that I get to explore. He’s a boyish fairytale character in a simple world, trying to grapple with tough real-world problems.”
“The unique dialogue and dense music is really challenging, but it’s also absolutely awesome,” he added. “Performing this show makes me so happy and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. WOOOO! WE ARE BACK IN PERSON AND BACK ON STAGE!! GO DRAMA GO BEARS!”
Tickets are available in advance on jbhsdrama.com. Adults are $27, seniors $20 and students are $12 or $10 with ASB card. Showtimes are 7:00 p.m. on March 18 and 19 and 2:00 p.m. on March 20. Masks are recommended but not required. According to Myers, no proof of vaccination or negative COVID test is required, as “that rule no longer exists.”
The John Burroughs High School auditorium is located at 1920 W. Clark Avenue in Burbank. Into The Woods runs for two-and-one-half hours with one 15-minute intermission.
[This article was updated at 6:05 p.m. on 3/16/22 per new information via Myers that no vaccination or negative COVID test will be required for attendance.]
