LHS Theatre opened a new theatrical journey with “Into The Woods” last night, April 20. 

Ever since January, Liberty Theatre students have been constantly preparing for the production of this show. The final show will be on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 2 pm. The other two shows will be on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, both shows start 7 pm. 

“Into The Woods” follows the story of The Baker and The Baker’s Wife. These two leads must travel into the woods to have a child, which is The Baker’s Wife’s wish. They must travel into the woods to get the items needed to reverse a curse, which was set upon The Baker’s family tree prior. Because of this curse, his wife can’t have a child. The show also follows the classic fairytale stories of characters such as Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel just to name a few.

These characters must all travel into the woods to get their wish. 

“Into The Woods” will also feature Liberty seniors Emmy Beach, who will be playing the role of Jack’s Mother, and senior Jackson Wood, who will be playing the role of the Baker. Senior Maia MacMahon stars in the role of The Baker’s Wife, while Senior Lauren Garber will be Cinderella.

Senior Beck Bradford is The Wolf, and senior Alex Huff will be playing the role of Rapunzel’s Prince. Not only is Huff performing in this show, but he was also the student director as well. 

 With classic songs such as “No One Is Alone,” “Ever After,” and “Giants In The Sky,” there is a variety of songs ranging from upbeat to sad and sincere that the audience will enjoy. 

The music was all choreographed under Choir and Orchestra teacher, Ms. Laura O’Konski. 

Mr. Josh Vest, staff director of “Into The Woods,” chose to produce this production as a way to challenge his new theater students and to honor Stephen Sondheim. 

“Into The Woods is one of Sondheim’s best shows, and I wanted to direct a show that pushes boundaries, but not necessarily bad boundaries, and I wanted to challenge my new students,” said Vest. 

Vest also stated that having to create the final cast list for this show was one of the hardest decisions that he has had to make for any show in his teaching career.

“Casting this show was extremely difficult,” said Vest.  “So many students fit so many different roles, and it could’ve gone in many different ways.” 

Ms. Sarah Grace, located in the career center at Liberty, was the dance choreographer for this production. 

Senior Emmy Beach says that she is looking forward to all of the dances and that she enjoyed working with Ms. Grace. 

“Ms. Grace because is a pleasure to work with,” said Beach. 

Wood stated that he is very glad and honored to be playing the role of The Baker. 

“I am very glad for the opportunity to be given a lead role in my last show ever here at LHS,” said Wood. 

Wood also stated that he is really looking forward to singing “It Takes Two,” but he is looking forward to seeing how the audience will react to the “No One is Alone” scene. 

“I believe that the audience will have a heart for the scene and they will enjoy it the most,” said Wood. 

Senior Beck Bradford stated that he enjoys listening to the songs, especially “Hello Little Girl” and “Last Midnight.” 

“‘Hello Little Girl’ has really good choreography and ‘Last Midnight’ was performed excellently by the actress who plays the witch,” said Bradford. 

Garber decided to take a risk and try something new by auditioning for the musical; this led to landing the role of Cinderella. 

“This is my first time trying something new like this, and getting Cinderella shows that when you try something new it pays off,” said Garber. 

Tickets will be sold at the door only. There will be no pre-show ticket sales. Tickets will be $5 for students and $10 for Adult admission. 

Other casted roles included: Naqui Frances as Cinderella’s Prince, Jonah Blue as The Steward, Logan Taylor as Cinderella’s Father, Karly McDonough as both Cinderella’s Mother and Stepmother, Payton Meadows as a Wolf and the Mysterious Man, Ceili McMorrow as Rapunzel, and Elijah Henley as the Granny just to name a few. 

Mr. Vest also stated that what he is the proudest of in regard to this show is his students. 

“I am extremely proud of every single student for giving it their all, trying new things, and being prepared for this journey and not backing out of the challenge that is ‘Into The Woods,’” said Vest. 

On Sunday, April 23, there will be a Senior Night to honor all of the graduates following the performance. The performance will start at approximately 2 pm. 

The “Into The Woods” cast and crew hope to see people at the show.