Into the Woods was written by James Lapine, and was composed by Stephen Sondheim. It was first performed at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on November 5, 1987. The first showing ran for 765 performances and won the 1988 Tony Awards for the Best Book and Score. The production was filmed only 3 years after the original opening night.

Many voices in this performance are extremely melodious, some mentionable examples being Olivia Gacka, who plays the Baker’s Wife, and Alex Bush, who performs as Cinderella’s Prince. Their song together, “Any Moment” shows off their vocal talents and its comic timing is perfect. “It Takes Two” is another vocally talented piece, sung by the Baker’s Wife (Gacka), and the Baker, who is performed by John Dunagan. Bush also performs another outstanding song as Cinderella’s Prince with his hilarious partner, Rapunzel’s Prince, who is played by Alexander Schroeder, in the song “Agony.” Along with its reprise, “Agony” is one of the most entertaining songs. All of these actors also excelled in performing their characters in depth with the proper facial expressions.

There are many other talented actors as well, including Cinderella, the Witch, Jack, and the Narrator/Mysterious Man, who are played by Madi Cupp-Enyard, Katherine Bush, John Rush, and Devin Chabot respectively. All of them play believable characters with well performed reactions to the story. Another mentionable character is Cinderella’s Mother, who is performed by Molly Burgess. Burgess has a clear, beautiful voice, which is showcased in “Cinderella at the Grave.” Many of the actors also have great stage business, including the cow, Milky-White, who is played by Peter Condie, who sways back-and-forth during “It Takes Two.”

The set for Into the Woods is extremely well designed, with authentic trees. During the second act, it is an ingenious idea to have a picture of the Princes in Cinderella’s house. The costumes are also authentic, along with being extremely intricate.

Although many of the actors are extremely vocally talented, some of them are difficult to understand. At some points the acting is bland and lacking in energy as well. The lighting adds to the performance, but at times it was off. Sometimes the spotlights even shone one of the stage crew.

Into the Woods is an absolute fairytale, with quirks at every turn. MICDS puts on a surprisingly enchanting tale that captivates every moment…”Maybe They’re Magic”…

by Tiffany Vonderahe of Northwest School District

Flowers for Algernon, written by David Rogers, is based on the 1958 critically acclaimed short story-turned-novel of the same name by Daniel Keyes. Flowers centers on Charlie Gordon, an intellectually challenged adult with a passion for learning. Charlie receives the opportunity to become the first human test subject of a risky new operation designed to radically elevate IQ levels. The operation saw success in another subject, a mouse named Algernon, whom Charlie befriends as the two find their way through the maze of challenges life after the operation brings.

Peter Condie portrayed Charlie with incredible respect, clarity, and depth. The gradual ebb and flow of Charlie’s intelligence allowed Condie to show the audience the dynamics of Charlie’s experience while remaining true to the character throughout the entire show. His near-perfect physicalizations of a man severely mentally handicapped raised the show from a science fiction fantasy to a realistic story of acceptance.

Prof. Harold Nemur (Dennis Shultz) shone most through his brilliant chemistry with Dr. Jay Strauss (John Dunagan). Dunagan’s strong character choices highlighted Strauss’ ambivalence about the experiment. Schultz and Dunagan together deftly side-stepped any “mad scientist” stereotypes and instead opted for layered portrayals of two ethically conflicted men. Charlie’s family (Lara Fox, Chris Dorr, Nora Chapin-Eppert, and Brendan Hart) all excelled at successful pantomime, their characters developing in tandem with Charlie’s mental growth. Some actors struggled to find a balance between their character and the scene occurring, however, the collective strength of the small cast covered any severe faults.

As remarkable as the performances were, the technical aspect of Flowers stole the show. Props (Kadija Howes) included real food and drink, working antique tape recorders, and a live mouse. The spectacular lighting design by Emily Ruskey and James Meade integrated strobe and black lights creatively utilized to show Charlie’s flashbacks to his childhood. Sound design (John Dunagan, Preeti Umashankar) worked seamlessly with both the action onstage and the other technical aspects to chill the audience through the incorporation of haunting children’s rhymes while still keeping Charlie’s journey the center focus. At times distracting backstage noises shook the audience out of the story; however, the problems were quickly remedied and overshadowed by the impressive and tasteful display of technological prowess by MICDS’s production staff.

Anchored by strong characters and nearly flawless tech work, MICDS’s production of Flowers handled a volatile issue with a gentle and exceptionally powerful hand.

Flowers for Algernon tackles issues from the 1950s still crucial to our social discourse today. Setting the show in the black box theater brought the audience almost uncomfortably near to the story, but as with everything in MICDS’s production it served a greater purpose — to force the audience to look inwards and question, just as Charlie does, “Who is to say my light is better than your darkness?”

by Mary Baker of Marquette High School

The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical, with book written by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It debuted in 1998 at The Rivoli in Toronto, but didn’t open on Broadway until 2006. The show won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score.

MICDS’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone was extremely entertaining. Laughter roared through the crowd during every scene, and rightfully so. The natural comedy of the cast was only heightened by the beautiful set design and vocal talent.

Every member of the cast was talented in some aspect, whether it be their comedic timing, their vocal range, or their tap dancing abilities. Lily Reed, who played the Drowsy Chaperone, kept the crowd laughing all the way through, with her exceptionally funny stage persona, especially during scenes with Aldolpho, played by Edward Wroten. Edward Wroten also possessed an extremely funny role and was able to hit the nail on the head not only in humor, but in vocal abilities as well. Devin Chabot, who played Man In Chair, stepped in at all of the right times, and added that little sprinkle of modern-day commentary that drove the crowd wild with laughter.

There were many different ensembles that appeared throughout the production. The gangsters, played by Zander Galluppi and Sam Streett, were a compatible pair, and impressed the characters on stage with their wide range of bakery and dessert malapropisms. They were hunched over in unison, and echoed each other’s accents. Another notable supporting role was Zoe Virant, who was a featured dancer. During the scene “Cold Feets,” she joined Robert in an entertaining tap dancing routine.

With every high school production, problems will arise in the sound department. MICDS experienced a few sound complications, but nothing that made the characters inaudible. Costumes were notably detailed and appropriate for the time era, especially the poolside outfits during Janet’s musical number “Show Off.”

The entire cast comes together at the end, and confinements to modern-day and the past no longer exist. The Drowsy Chaperone helps us realize that there are no boundaries, and we can always become one with our favorite character in the end; well, figuratively, of course.

by Maddie Warren of Northwest High School

Picasso At Lapin Agile is set on October 8, 1904 in a bar called Lapin Agile. Albert Einstein, played by Peter Condie, has a few drinks and acquaints himself with the owner of the bar, Freddy, played by Sam Archie, and Freddy’s girlfriend, Germaine, played by Tally Portnoi. Pablo Picasso, played by Dennis Shultz, manages to fit his ego through the door and meets Einstein in a surreal and hilarious encounter. Einstein and Picasso slowly move past their conflicting realms of study and find that they have much more in common than they think.

Schultz is a convincingly womanizing artistic visionary. His portrayal of Picasso is perfected down to the smallest hair flips and suave dance moves. Condie plays Einstein with the right amount of awkwardness and brilliance. Together, Schultz and Condie are a dynamic duo who bring out the character quirks in each other.

The supporting cast is strong. Portnoi plays Germaine as the seductress-in-disguise with ease, and Archie plays the straightman well, managing to ground the two loony geniuses. Stand-outs of the supporting cast are Gaston, played by Chris Noda, and Charles Dabernow Schmendiman, played by John Dunagan. Noda stays in character the whole time as the cutesy, semi-perverted, old patron of the bar. Noda’s one-liners have the audience rolling with laughter. Dunagan comes on stage sporadically with amazing stage presence and high energy. Without even opening his mouth, Noda gets many laughs.

Waiting for the show to begin is a treat in itself. For all the art connoisseurs out there, the set is reminiscent of a Picasso piece with visibly apt brushstrokes and rich colors matched by the set pieces. Every detail down to the edge of a chair mimics the art of the 20th century painter. Clayton Givinnup and Tom Hereford accomplish a rich stage picture with this extraordinary set.

The lighting, by Emily Ruskey, is well-executed and minimal, with the occasional dimming to set the mood for an aside to the audience or a sentimental moment. The musicianship is extraordinary. Composed and performed by Dunagan, his light melodies provide the perfect underscore at just the right volume and speed.

So, what would a conversation look like between Einstein and Picasso? The MICDS cast of Picasso At Lapin Agile answer this absurd question with ease. The characterizations, set, make-up, music, and lighting transport the audience to a bar in Paris circa 1904, where this outrageous situation seems somewhat plausible. An excellent performance of a hilarious play.

by Eudora Olsen of Clayton High School