Feb. 19, 2014

By Lauren Piek

The Theatre/dance and Music Departments will showcase the co-produced musical “Into the Woods,” from Feb. 21 to March 1 at the Barnett Theatre in the Greenhill Center of the Arts.

The play is directed by theater professor, Jim Butchart, who has directed more than 50 plays at UW-Whitewater.

“I’ve loved the play forever,” Butchart said. “It’s Stephen Sondheim, who’s probably the preeminent musical theater writer of our age. I’ve wanted to do the show for a long time.”

“Into the Woods,” is a combination of classic fairytales, such as “Cinderella,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “The Baker and His Wife” and “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Butchart said the first act is about various characters going into the woods. In the second act, things turn really dark because the giant’s wife comes down from the beanstalk looking for Jack after he killed her husband.

Freshman Liz Ehrler said the music of Sondheim and the classic characters featured in ‘Into the Woods’ have been a major draw for theater students starring in the show.

Ehrler plays Little Red Riding Hood, a role she said she has wanted to play since seventh grade.

“It’s one of my favorite shows, and it’s the first musical I’ve done here,” Ehrler said. “I’m freer under the direction of Jim [Butchart]. He works with us in a way that lets us analyze for ourselves what kind of person our character is.”

Music education major Mary Vey plays Cinderella, which is the first lead she has had in a show. Vey has been singing and performing since she was in high school.

“Into the Woods” is different because she comes from an operatic background, Vey said.

“I’ve known this musical for a while, and I’ve always been a huge fan,” Vey said. “I’ve always wanted the role of Cinderella, so I knew I had to audition for ‘Into the Woods.’”

Senior Jennifer Samson plays the Baker’s Wife. Samson began acting at the age of 10 in her community theater.

“Into the Woods” is her senior project and her last show at UW-Whitewater as a theater performance major.

“I like entertaining an audience,” Samson said. “I like creating a character, it’s like an art. It’s creating a story, which is really fun.”

Although the musical is about fairytales, the story holds deeper messages, Ehrler said. A key element of the show is the choices the characters have to make and the consequences that come with those choices.

“The audience is really going to be surprised about how there’s a deeper sense of humanity and why we do the things we do,” Ehrler said. “It’s a show that really questions a person’s beliefs. It’s about how if you wish for or want something so bad, are you willing to deal with the consequences.”

Another message the audience should take away is the importance of family and what family really means, Butchart said.

“I want the audience to think about family,” Butchart said. “I want them to think about what families are, what creates families, how families go through trial and tribulations.”

“Into the Woods,” runs at 7:30 p.m. from Feb. 21 to Feb 22, Feb 26 to March 1 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Tickets are $14, and students are encouraged to buy their tickets early because of the show’s popularity.