Sing Hosanna! to stage 'Into the Woods Jr.'
The cast and crew of Sing Hosanna! were about two weeks away from performing “Shrek” in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down live gatherings.
Now, a group of more than 25 youths ages 7 to 18 has been rehearsing for about two months for “Into the Woods Jr.,” which they will perform at the Comtra Theatre in Cranberry Township on the weekend of Sept. 18.
Ralph Christy, producer and director of Sing Hosanna!, said the cast members could not be more excited to perform.
“They love their theater and love doing shows and entertaining people,” Christy said. “And they have gotten very good at it.”
“Into the Woods,” Christy said, is a show made up of several stories based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, but with a few twists that put the characters of different stories such as “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Hansel and Gretel” into the same situations.
“Into the Woods” is written by Stephen Sondheim, whom Christy said has some complicated compositions that have given the child actors some good material with which to work.
“It's sometimes just syllable upon syllable upon syllable,” Christy said of the song layouts. “It has been a real challenge for the kids.”
Despite being faced with some difficult lyrical pieces, Christy said the cast has risen to the challenge. They look forward to bringing the show to life for a live audience.
“Rehearsals have been good, and I'm really glad we could finally start rehearsals again,” said TommyLynn Kilian, who plays the witch in the show.
The actors also said they enjoy the interesting spin “Into the Woods” puts on classic fairy tales.
“The show is very energetic and moves the detailed story along well,” said Sadi Shearer, who plays Cinderella.
Christy said the young cast puts an additional spin on the musical; seeing children as young as 7 years old perform the scenes has a slightly comedic event. To encourage and inspire everyone in the cast, Christy said he paired up younger children with the older performers, who act as mentors to them.
“They can help them with standing still, they help them with their dance routines,” Christy said.
Getting the chance to mentor younger actors has been rewarding for some of the older cast members.
“It has given me a fantastic opportunity to be a role model for younger kids,” said Sam Smith, who plays Jack.
This is also the first show Sing Hosanna! will perform in the Comtra Theatre, which has its audience wrapped around the circular stage, making performances a little more intimate and immersive, Christy said.
Christy said anyone who enjoys clever storytelling and intricate musical numbers would enjoy “Into the Woods Junior,” and audience members will notice the hard work and dedication of the young cast.
“If you are a Sondheim fan, you'll just love this,” Christy said. “It's a play that interweaves all these fairy tale story lines. It's extremely clever.”
The performances will be at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and at 2 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Comtra Theatre in Cranberry Township. Tickets are available online at singhosanna.ticketleap.com or at the door for $18. For more information on the show, visit comtratheatre.org.
