Masquers takes cast ‘Into the Woods’

This weekend Masquers Theatre will take its final weekend of wandering through the woods in its production of “Into the Woods.” The Masquers Theatre board had long sought after the rights to perform the show, and they finally got their opportunity this year.

“It’s a hard one to pin down, so that was exciting, and it’s a classic,” board member Sara Brabec said. “Everybody knows it. … Every theater kid wants to do ‘Into the Woods,’ because it’s just a bear of a show that’s so much fun. It’s so complex, but looks so simple when it’s done well.”

She also said that the show follows Masquers Theatre’s motto of providing family-friendly material.

“We’ve done some pretty kid-heavy cast shows and family friendly shows, and ‘Into the Woods’ gave us the opportunity to be a little more tongue-in-cheek without being inappropriate for families,” she said.

The dark comedy blends fairy tale characters together in a story about magic in the woods. The story follows a baker and his wife who want to have a child, Cinderella, who wishes to go to the King’s festival, and Jack, who wishes his cow would produce milk. When the baker and his wife find out they can’t have a child because of the witch’s curse, they seek to undo it. In the aftermath of getting what they seek, they can’t help but question if it’s what they want.

But the stage production is far less dramatic than the movie version, and that appeals to the actors.

“I think the on-stage concept of ‘Into the Woods’ is extremely funny,” said Julia Bell, who plays the witch. “It’s definitely a comedy. I think the movie is a dramatic take, which is equally as interesting, but I love the show so much because it’s so funny all of the time.”

Bell said the role is a “dream role” for her.

“I think she’s such an interesting character. She’s this omniscient being who sees the world for [what] it is. It’s so much fun playing with the witch before the transformation before she’s beautiful,” she said, adding that because of the witch’s transformation, “it’s almost like you get to play two different characters.”

For Cosette Trampe, acting in this year’s play has become a father-daughter bonding experience. Cosette, 15, had gone in to audition. When she got out, she told her father, Adam, he needed to audition.

“When your 15-year-old daughter says, ‘I want you to do this show with me,’ you do it.” Adam said. “She could be stuck in a room with her phone.”

He was named as Cinderella’s prince, while Cosette is playing Sleeping Beauty.

“I think it’s more fun for her to have Dad onstage,” Ian Lexvold, a fellow cast member, said about Cosette and Adam.

Adam, who hasn’t done theater since college, said the experience has been “super fun.”

“I’m a big fan of musical theater, I always loved participating in shows,” he said.

In playing Cinderella’s prince, he loves the comedy he can perform.

“It’s a comedic and caricature role,” he said. “It’s easy to play and just act silly. That’s what appeals to me about the role.”

Lexvold plays Cinderella’s father, a role he didn’t realize was real until after he read the script.

“I hadn’t read the show before, so I didn’t known the role is a real role. … I thought it was fake, to be totally honest,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed [the role].”

He said playing Cinderella’s father has challenged his acting, because the father is a drunk, deadbeat father.

“He doesn’t really care about his daughter,” he said.

But he added the show itself, more than the role, has been a challenge, mostly due to the songs.

The musical’s songs are more technically difficult, as composer Stephen Sondheim’s notes and rhythms are harder in this show than other musicals. Joyce Mix, the music director, said she was impressed with how the cast had readied themselves musically for their roles before rehearsals began.

“The cast did an amazing job coming in familiar with their musical roles prior to rehearsal, so that helped a lot,” she said. “The first three weeks, that’s all we worked on, really, was going through the music.”

She started rehearsals by going at slower tempos to get the counts right, and gradually built up to get it right. From there, it was getting in the repetitions to make it more second nature.

“With Sondheim, my philosophy is we just [have to] go big and work it at full force. … With him, his speeds, his keys are constantly changing. … This cast really stepped up to that challenge,” she said.

One of the challenges the cast had was that the backing tracks used in Masquers show are different than other productions, and so the cast couldn’t use other musical tracks to get it right, because the tempos and notes might be different.

Lexvold nodded to Bell and other lead performers about their efforts they put in ahead of rehearsals.

“We’ve just been riding their coattails, and with Joyce’s direction of putting us through our paces,” he said his musical numbers have been easier to learn.

One of Adam’s favorite parts of the show is listening to others perform the technically challenging music.

“It’s fun to just show up and show off talent,” he said. “I like just going along for the ride for that. It’s really fun for me.”

Bell concurred, saying her favorite part of the show is at the end when the characters of the baker, Jack, Little Red, and Cinderella are acting and singing together.

“I just think they do such a beautiful job every night acting and singing. Their technique is gorgeous,” she said.

The song is about building connections with people, and that, as the title of the song says, no one is alone.

“It’s such a beautiful realization point where they finally come together,” she said. “It’s such a treat to just listen backstage.”

Adam noted how the show is an enigma, in that it “makes no sense” but also is deep.

“It’s super ridiculous on one hand … and then it tries to get deep into the human condition, and thinking you know what you want until you get it. It’s a big commentary and yet it’s super silly. There’s not many shows that are both superficial and really kind of deep,” he said.

Masquers performs “Into the Woods” this Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Forest Lake Area High School. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $10 for children ages 2 through 10. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at masquerstheatre.com/tickets.