Photos: Lincoln High School Presents “Into the Woods”

This weekend, the students of Lincoln High School will present the musical “Into the Woods.” It’s an unusual and challenging production for several reasons.

First, the students selected it. Director Laura Adams said the directorial staff, comprised of high school faculty, almost always chooses the musical. However, this year the students were especially excited about “Into the Woods” and convinced Adams to give it a try. The students had to perform in a workshop to demonstrate they could pull off some of the difficult numbers required.

The students were inspired to do the musical after seeing the 2014 Disney film adaptation that featured an ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Christine Baranski and Johnny Depp. Many of the students were unfamiliar with the original 1987 Broadway musical written by Stephen Sondheim.

Unlike a typical musical that features defined leads, “Into the Woods” has an ensemble cast of roughly ten significant roles. The plot is a blend of Brothers Grim fairy tales featuring legendary characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella and Jack from Jack in the Beanstalk.

The ensemble cast, comprised of freshmen through juniors but no seniors, described the musical as funny, poignant, dark and an overall blend of emotions and moods.

The Lincoln stage will feature an equally intense array of props and sets, transporting the audience into fairy tale setting.

However, the most challenging aspect of the musical by far is learning the songs.

“The orchestral music doesn’t match the melody of the songs,” Adams said.

Junior Joey Cortez, playing Jack, said that he can’t follow along to the band’s accompanying music, as it simply doesn’t match any of the songs he sings.

Into the Woods will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 14 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 15. Admission is $13 for adults and $11 for students and senior citizens.

For tickets, call 724-752-1591, Ext. 3002.