Putting the Summer Players to the Ultimate Test--Sondheim

From an artistic and performance standpoint, there is nothing easy about Stephen Sondheim’s music. You don’t become the most influential musical theatre composer of our time without breaking rules and bending convention—which Sondheim was known, and widely regarded, for doing.

Sondheim put demands on his performers unlike any other composer. As he was exploring revenge and the English class system in Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, political assassinations in Assassins, social class in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and, yes, familiar fairy tales in Into the Woods, Sondheim took a hard pass on the traditional classic melodic structure. This partially explained his genius in bringing out the personality of his characters through the brilliant meshing of words and lyrics that went beyond superficial.

It all explains why director Hisa Takakuwa and Music Director Erin McNally chose Into the Woods as this year’s production for the Summer Players. Some of the most talented students in SCR’s Youth Conservatory, the Summer Players are rising to meet Takakuwa’s and McNally’s Sondheim challenge. To perform in the Summer Players, cast members have to complete at least a year in the conservatory, then audition for their roles.

“In choosing a Players show, Erin McNally and I look for a script that provides a challenging educational experience for our young student cast,” Takakuwa said in her Director’s Notes. “We select material that demands that the actors ‘fire on all cylinders’—testing their training of voice, body, intellect, emotion and imagination, and requiring both individual bravery and generous ensemble work. The story should ideally be one that can be explored from their young truth and shared in their voice.

“What a gift for young performers to work on the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim. Into the Woods is full of fun and interesting characters and is a complex and emotionally rich world to explore and create.”

Come Into the Woods with the Summer Players for eight performances Aug. 5-13 on the Julianne Argyros Stage.