Let me start this blog post by saying that I am a huge Sondheim fan.  I know that pretty much everyone who enjoys musical theatre is a Sondheim fan, but I feel that I need to say it.  I have listened to Into the Woods countless times, watched the stage version on Netflix, and fallen in love, time and again, with both the score, and the way the Original Broadway Cast worked their magic on it. That being said, I was cautiously excited to hear that it would be made into a film.  I saw the way that Les Mis became mainstream, and I could suddenly discuss it with my non-musical friends, and I hoped that this Sondheim adaptation would need end up like the slim downed, anemic version of Sweeney Todd released in 2007. 

My best friend, her mother, and I skipped up to the really nice movie theater near us, the one with the Lay-Z-Boy recliners instead of movie theater seating, only to be disappointing that the Christmas day showings had all sold out! "Don't these people know that I love this musical more than a majority of the people who have tickets, the people who have never heard it, the people who wouldn't know Sondheim from a sonogram?!?!?!!?" I was dismayed and lost, but we found another theater, one with less comfortable seats (though they still let us bring our blankets in) and made it without a moment to spare. 

The movie began, and I was hoping for that familiar hit, followed by "Once upon a time", but they started right in with the speaking.  The music came in very shortly after, and we were off.  Like I said, I was in love with the original cast, the comic overly dramatic voice of the bakers wife, the beauty of Bernadette Peters' balance of the good and bad of the witch, and the chubby little blonde "Little Red".  None of these characters were to be found.  We had a much drier, almost sad bakers wife, played by Emily Blunt, a witch played so masterfully by Meryl Streep that you could see the turmoil in her eyes, and a little red that had all the wit and fire, with a more realistic look, reminding us that while innocent, she was not quite so delicate and fragile. 

There was music cut here and there, but ultimately the show had to be streamlined, I know of productions where the audience left at the end of act I thinking it was a long one act musical.  The lack of the reprise of "Agony" left me longing for the comic relief preparing us for the less happy second act, and the narrations and lessons that everyone shares through song were certainly missed, but overall the film delivered. 

I had in my mind exactly what each of these characters would sound like.  None of them really channeled their OBC counterparts, but as an actor that's what we strive for, and this cast managed to recreate these characters, bringing them to life in a completely new way, while still delivering in all regards. 

There were certainly standouts, Emily Blunt as the bakers wife both sounded beautiful and acted the role impeccably.   Joanna Gleason certainly gave us the brash, loud, domineering bakers wife, who seemed just as likely to smack the baker over the head as to kiss him, while Blunt delivered us a tender loving wife, though I did miss Gleason's "I NEED YOUR SHOES!"

Meryl Streep nailed the role I was most concerned about before seeing the cast lists.  Bernadette Peters borders on perfection in my mind, and her witch was so flawlessly played.  Streep certainly took the character in another direction, one that would not have worked as well on stage but translated beautifully up close.  Her rendition of "The Last Midnight" was easily one of my favorite moments of the entire film, she perfectly balanced the anger and sadness portrayed by the text and score. 

Anna Kendrick as Cinderella was the casting I was most concerned about, even after having seen her kill in Camp and in Pitch Perfect.  She always portrayed a more contemporary commercial sound to me, not the light, slightly operatic tones called for by the role of Cinderella, but she really pulled through, mixing in her own vocal style, to find a happy medium and delivered a stellar performance.  "On the Steps of the Palace" was another incredibly well done scene, a very unique take on it that, again, employed a magic that film can capture, to take the scene out of time, a very brilliant take. 

All in all Into the Woods was done justice by this film.  Sondheim doesn't always translate well to the masses, his use of leitmotif is often missed, the delicate intricacies of his harmonies and the disjunction in the nature of his melodic lines are often misunderstood by audiences looking for something requiring slightly less thought throughout, but the beauty of the score will capture anyone who cares to spend the time listening. Making it to see this show was a star on the top of my Christmas Tree, and while it will never replace in my mind the perfection of the original production, or the joy I get seeing it on stage, I will be adding this to "sure I'll watch that again" list. 

Another fall is here, and instead of worrying about the changing leaves, our actors on stage are learning to keep an eye out for street rats, snakes, and sand storms! No we have not relocated to the LCA to the Middle East, but we transform our minds into Agrabah three days a week for rehearsal!

After our first week of rehearsal, I am astounded at the talent we have in our young actors, and can't wait to dig in further! They transported us with the opening tune "Arabian Nights" and their amazing voices filled the LCA with the sounds of, dare I say, "A Whole New World"!

You do not want to miss this magical family favorite!

Performances:
November 21st - 7 PM
November 22nd - 2 PM
November 23rd - 4 PM

Tickets:
$10 Adults
$8 Seniors
$5 children
Tickets on sale to the public October 27th, available at the front desk of the South Shore Emilson YMCA

Just two weeks from now, students will be counting down the hours until their audition for our Fall production of ALADDIN JR. Tyler Cavanagh, the production director, will have already spent one evening enjoying the songs and scene reads of young thespians and will be anticipating two more audition days of excitement and puzzle-building. Casting a show is like building a puzzle- many theatre artists believe 80% of directing is casting! Piecing together a cohesive, complimentary team that will work together to tell the story of the show is a challenge and a thrill.

Last Spring we chose to start planning for a production of ALADDIN JR and Tyler has had ideas bouncing around his creative noggin all summer long. We never could have anticipated the loss of the great Robin Williams who created the iconic role of the Genie in the 1992 Disney classic. As an elementary student, to me Genie was hilarious, tender, and everyone's idea of a perfect BFF. Watching ALADDIN as an adult, he still is. From what you can read about Williams' real life character, it seems he was much the same- sincere, generous, encouraging to all he met, and, of course, hilarious. There are so many films in which Robin Williams created truly iconic characters, but most of all his true character will be missed. We are glad to be producing this show this Spring and for the opportunity to pay tribute to such a legend.

Do you have an actor in your life who is between the ages of 6 & 18? We'd love to have them in this fabulous production! Auditions are scheduled for Thursday, 9/11 and Friday, 9/12 from 4-6PM and Saturday, 9/13 from 2-4PM. To sign up for an audition email Tyler Cavanagh at tcavanagh@ssymca.org and let him know the child's name, age, and your date or time preferences. Feel free to contact us with questions and don't miss the performances November 21-23!

Summer is a busy, crazy, wonderful, fun, wild time at Laura's Center for the Arts! Fortunately we have the opportunity to bring in an amazing group of camp staff who are from a variety of backgrounds.  One such staff is back for her second summer with us, and we couldn't be more excited to have her on our team!

 Madison "Madi" tower is home from her first year at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and is assisting with our dance and theatre camps, as well as stepping into the role of lead instructor for our Teen Theatre Intensive.  Madi has been consistently held in regards by the campers, their parents, and her coworkers, often taken on leadership roles instinctively.  Madi's specialty classes such as improv and Broadway dance are always full of laughter and without fail put on a great performance at the end of the camp session.  She loves the diversity of arts that the campers here are exposed to and the creative environment fostered by the staff!

Madi hopes to go on the become a dramaturge or to work with a film production company.  Fortunately we will be able to say this up and coming theatre professional got her start here at Laura's Center for the Arts.

"Art is about creation and adding something new to the world" - Madi Tower

I was an undergraduate student studying acting, constantly immersed in a new role, a new persona, and I was on my way to the arts and communication building on campus when I stumbled upon a conversation being had about actors. One peer was sharing his skepticism that he could continue participating in theatre. The "vanity" of it was unsettling him. There was just so much focus on the self and he didn't want to live that way.

There are moments in life when you say something and then immediately realize it to be true- it comes out before you've cognitively acknowledged it. 

Before I knew I was butting in, I heard myself articulating the reality that actors are not vain and acting is not mere focus on the self. Good actors are honest. They LOSE themselves in a different persona- they allow themselves to disappear into someone else- and in doing so they acknowledge the humanity in us all. In playing a villain honestly, I realize my own innate ability to BE a villain. I am capable of these actions. I hold this potential within myself. I will never forget the compliment an audience gave a dear friend once- they boo-ed him during curtain call. He played the villain that convincingly. He allowed himself to disappear from view that fully. And we all learned about the nature of good and evil because of his courage.

Good actors are not vain. Good actors are honest and brave.

But it is not surprising that this assumption prevails, is it? Meryl Streep revealed this week that as a student she thought she was "too ugly to be an actress," and that she thought it was "vain to be an actress." Terms like "drama queen" don't paint a desirable reputation for those who build their careers in the performing arts. When I refer to someone as "dramatic," it is most often not a compliment. It is a difficult balance to strike- the reality that in acting, our medium is ourselves, yet WE are not the ones on display when we strut the boards. We're vessels and storytellers, not self-promotors.

And that's what we try to teach our theatre students here at LCA: not to self-promote and indulge in vanity, but to find humanity in their characters, to learn about the human condition through art, and to "hold a mirror up to nature" as the Bard taught us in Hamlet.

What do you think? What does it take to be a good actor?

There are feathers in the arts center. So. Many. Feathers. They have breezed into every corner and doorway, settled down in bathroom stalls, and slid under the door to my office while I was out. Why the feathers? Well, a herd of birds and jungle creatures have been setting up shop here every evening this week and they shed like crazy! Capachione School of Performing Arts (CSPA) is currently in residence at LCA, putting up their production of Seussical. We're excited to be partnering with them on the creation of the set since we have just a couple more weeks before our own production of the same play hits the stage here. How perfect is that? It is also very cool to see how another director and another group of talented kids have taken on this show. Theatre creates community wherever it goes and we're happy to expand the little community we've created with CSPA.

CSPA, based in East Bridgewater, opened in 1986, and they offer classes, take part in theatre competitions and, of course, put up their own theatre productions regularly. If you're interested in checking them out at LCA this weekend stop by today or tomorrow for their 7PM performance or Sunday for the performance at 6PM.

OR hold out for our very own production opening on Friday, April 4 at 7PM. These kids from all over the South Shore are incredibly talented and you don't want to miss hearing them belt out the fun, quirky, beautiful music of Seussical. Tickets are on sale now at the Emilson YMCA front desk and will be available at the door too (if we don't sell out!).

Last weekend was a wonderfully packed one at Laura's Center for the Arts. Three sold out performances of Annie JR filled the center with bustle and song. There are few things better than to hear 55 youth, ages 5-16, belting out "the sun'll come out tomorrow!" Its hopeful and refreshing, to say the least.

Tyler Cavanagh, the production director, wrote beautifully about all that theatre at LCA means to us in his director's note. In case you missed the performances, or just missed snagging a playbill, here is an excerpt:

Annie is a show about feeling loved and finding a place to belong, and most anyone who has been involved in theatre can appreciate that feeling. The camaraderie, trust, and feeling of home is something that has always drawn me to theatre, as well as to the Y. I am blessed to have the chance to work such an amazing cast and production team, and find that family feeling directing Annie Jr. at the Emilson Y.  

Bravo to the cast and crew of Annie JR and thanks to all who attended. A HUGE thanks to the families of the participants as well: the holidays are a busy time for all of us- thank you for making this opportunity a priority for your kiddos!

Set design is something I am completely new to. Theatre is something I'm completely new to.  It has been so inspiring for me, as a visual artist, to work alongside actors who these things are so basic to.  The directors and staff of Annie have been so gracious to welcome in some of my ideas while teaching me through example what makes for a quality set.  I have to also point out that the cast of Annie has been hugely helpful in set design decisions.  On our set build day a bunch of the kids made set sketches for what they thought the shop windows should look like.  Details such as shop window sale signs that include the support strings attached to the top of them is something that seemed so obvious once it was put into the sketches.  

As always with the creation process, some things just don't work out and new plans are born out of that.  The above sketch of the city sky line is something that the cast brought to fruition in a large painting.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to use the painting because the surface we were working on warped which made it impossible to erect them the original way we planned.  We decided to instead focus on the shop windows, that had such solid brainstorming from the cast, and attach them to some easels that fully support the board on which they were painted.

Here are two of the three shop windows

 I am so grateful to work in an arts center where I get the opportunity to cross pollinate with the vast opportunities the arts have.  Thank you so much to all of the staff, cast, and family members who helped with this process, it has been a great experience. If you are coming to see Annie this week, be sure to check out more of the set design sketches we have hanging in the hallway as well as the third window panel that is not shown here.

In today's fast paced world it's a challenge to find family time.  Families find themselves running from this game to that birthday, from one class to the next, with the parents on the fringes watching and driving.  It's a beautiful thing to see a family just play.

One of the classes we are currently offering is "Oh the Drama" and I couldn't ask for a better class! We currently have two families who honestly exemplify the power of theatre, in this case the simple act of "playing pretend", to bring people together.  Throughout the fall session I have had the chance to watch this group of youngsters transform into animals, chefs, royalty, and anything else our imaginations could come up with. 

What has been so inspiring is the parents involvement; These parents actively participate in engaging their imaginations as well.  It's easy to get wrapped up in the idea that we have to act a certain way, and pretending to fight a bear that your 3 year old son is imagining looming over you, ready to attack, is rarely seen as the "right" way to be an adult, but that's just what these parents are doing.  They are letting their kids make the decisions, and following along as a character in their story! Whether we are pretending to cook a gourmet meal or protect the throne of the kingdom, this class, these kids, and these parents are a highlight of the week.

The throne created by Prince Tristan and Princess Adriana