Into the Woods–Woodbridge High School’s 2019 spring musical directed by Mr. Terrell and Mr Lynch–was held on March 21st to the 23rd and was presented to Woodbridge Township by the students, staff, and pit band.

Mr. Terrell and Mr. Lynch, co-directors of the spring musical, and Mr. Kohn, band director, decided to present Into the Woods this year considering the talent present in Woodbridge High School’s musical program.  “Into the Woods” is an interesting mix of emotions. It’s considered “darker” than many of the musicals we’ve done in the past. It meets the fine line between a newer age style and the Broadway standard without being too “overdone or over saturated,” said Mr. Terrell. 

The musical is about a baker and his wife, unable to have children as a result of a curse from a witch, who go on a dangerous quest into the woods to retrieve ingredients for the witch in order to reverse the curse. In the process of finding these ingredients, the baker and his wife encounter the characters of renowned fairy tails. such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack.

The lead roles of the musical this year were as follows: Maggie Aube (playing the the baker’s wife) , Joe Golden (the baker), Lauren Padden (the witch), Rosemarie Pilla (Little Red Riding Hood), Alyssa Molnar (Cinderella), Kevin Catalon (Jack), Gianna Demarco (Jack’s mother), Samantha Wolter (Rapunzel), Daniel Nebus (Rapunzel’s prince), Eric McKenzie (Cinderella’s prince), and Haley Resta (the narrator).

Maggie Aube, a senior at Woodbridge High School, has been associated with the musical program for all four years of high school. This year, she played the main role as the baker’s wife. “My cast members this year were absolutely phenomenal. Every person brought their own incredible talent to the table from a principal to a tree. They were probably the best cast members I have ever had in the musical production,” said Aube.

The cast’s hard work seemed to pay off, since they received many compliments on their performance. “I really enjoyed the performance. The cast looked really comfortable on stage despite how large the audience was,” said Madison Carral, who went to see the Into the Woods on the last day of showing.

Daniel Nebus, a junior at Woodbridge High School, has been involved in the musical since freshman year and played Rapunzel’s prince for the spring musical this year. “Ever since last year when I earned the role of  Arpad Laszlo, I told myself that I can’t back out now, and I definitely wasn’t going to let my cast mates down, so I just sucked it up and had fun on stage. That’s what calms me down to be so comfortable on stage.”

Into the Woods is a musical that includes very challenging music both vocally and instrumentally. The cast and the pit band received positive reactions from the audience, as they tackled different challenges than they have before. “I really think our company stepped up and make the show our own. I’m very proud of them all,” said Mr. Terrell.