MAC Theatre Guild to Present "Into the Woods"

An irreverent treatment of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales will be brought to the stage by Mineral Area College’s Little Theatre Guild with their performance of “Into the Woods.”
 
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and performances are at 7 p.m. nightly, Dec. 3-6, in the Fine Arts Theatre at the Park Hills Campus. Tickets are available at the MAC Bookstore or at the door on the night of the performances, and are $7 general admission, or $3 for MAC students and senior citizens.
 
With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim for the play based on a James Lapine book, the plot twists and turns on some of the most popular children’s fairy tales. Wishing to start a family, a childless baker and his wife must reverse a witch's spell and embark on a journey that intertwines with characters from many Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella,Rapunzel, and Jack and the Beanstalk. 
 
A film version of Into the Woods will be released by Walt Disney Studios on Dec. 25.
 
MAC Theatre Professor Chuck Gallaher said the play is rated PG, and adults will enjoy the unique perspective brought by the updated fairy tales.
 
"I think this show is an interesting twist on the Grimm Fairy Tale characters,” he said. “We’ve grown up with these characters by watching Disney films, but the characters in this show are definitely not Disney. It leans a little more towards what these characters would be like if they were fleshed out in today's world. They have problems. They’re not necessarily happy and they want to do something about it. But what they wish for may not be exactly what they wanted. I think that the idea of the moral of ‘be careful what you wish for, you might just get it’ appeals even more in today's world."
 
Little Theatre Guild’s cast list includes: 
 
Cinderella: Shiloh Burt, Crystal City;
Cinderella’s Mother / Granny / Giant: Summer Vroman, Park Hills;
Cinderella’s Prince / Wolf: Josh Cashion, Farmington;
Cinderella’s Stepmother: Tessa Oliver, Park Hills;
Lucinda: Sydney Huff, Farmington;
Florinda: Rihannah Klein-Fleeman, Arcadia Valley;
Jack: Michael Cantrell, Park Hills;
Jack’s Mother: Amanda DeClue, Park Hills;
Little Red Ridinghood: Rachel Gann, Park Hills;
Mysterious Man: Lucas Robinson, Park Hills;
Narrator: Aaron Gamble, Potosi;
Rapunzel: Alexis Naeger, Ste. Genevieve;
Rapunzel’s Prince: Sam Gallaher, Schenectady, NY;
Baker: Brian Kelley, Desloge;
Baker’s Wife: Leslea Walter, Pacific;
Witch: Regina Brown-Vaughn, Farmington;
Steward: Michael Petete, Potosi;
Milky White: Josh MacDonald, Breese, IL

Auditions for Mineral Area College Little Theatre Guild’s next production, “Rumors,” will take place on  Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. in the MAC Fine Arts Theatre in Park Hills. There will be parts for five men and five women. Some singing and dancing is required. For more information, call (573) 518-2181. “Rumors” performance dates are Feb. 19-21.