The Ins and Outs of the Woods

Abbey Ranson - 12

12/7/2018

Kirksville High School’s fall musical is something the Kirksville community looks forward to every year, and Into the Woods did not disappoint. Playwright James Lapine and composer Stephen Sondheim created a complicated mashup of everyone’s favorite fairy tales in this long production.

Everyone loves Cinderella. She is magical, in touch with the forest, and has a beautiful voice. This year, Kirksville’s very own Cinderella, Skylar Petersen (12), shined onstage with a voice that belongs on a Disney soundtrack. Her personal elegance along with her sweet songs to the crowd’s favorite birds made Petersen’s part as perfect a fit as a glass slipper.

Another wonderfully casted part made by Denise Clark and Rebecca Murphy was MaKenna Carnes (11) as the witch. Carnes is already as sassy as they come. The role of the witch showcased Carnes’s talent with a variety of songs, including a little bit of rap, making the show that much more enjoyable.

More pleasing parts included Jackson Jones (11) as the wolf. A nice thing about this musical was that most characters were apart of a pair, creating chemistry between the two, and helping the flow of the musical.Sarah Vorkink (12) and Joseph Doman (12) worked surprisingly well together as baker and wife. Bennett Howshaw (12) and Garrett Nichting (12) added humor to the show while riding their royal horses, created by the Costume and Construction/Props class, across the stage, making the princes a fan favorite.

Even with a cast well-suited for nearly every role, there were some minor hiccups. With microphone malfunctions, the actors and actresses could not always be heard from the audience, even in the front row.

After speaking with Murphy, I found out that Mysterious Man Tyler Self (11) could not be heard because his mic was going bad, not because he did not articulate when speaking or singing.

Murphy also shared that if the cast ever muted their microphones using the battery pack while backstage, the sound booth could not unmute the pack.

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Something I was also surprised to see was that there was no pit band this year. Murphy explained that the music for this particular production is very difficult and in order to get cues on time, they opted to use recorded tracks in order to keep things simple.

I have always been a fan of the pit band because it includes more of the student body, but I agree with Murphy that in this case, the simple option was the best option.

Overall, the production of Into the Woods was well done by a cast of students who have talents worth showing off.