The Ritz Theatre Co. Brings Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods to Our Main Stage

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“We are delighted to be bringing Into the Woods to our Main Stage again,” says Bruce Curless, Ritz Theatre Producing Artistic Director. “We had a very successful run in the past, now we look forward to bringing this show to our current audiences.

Our costumer for this show AJ Garcia has also worked with us in the past, then moved to Florida where he established his costume business East Coast Theatricals. We are very fortunate to be working with AJ again!”

The Ritz Theatre Co. closes their thirty-third year with a Stephen Sondheim classic, Into the Woods. Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, Cinderella, and the Witch return for a triumphant encore! Act One introduces you to all of your favorite fairytale characters, but then in Act Two, the beans, the giant, the witch, and the beanstalk all come tumbling down. The music you love, the stories you’ve known . . . or have you? Don’t miss out!

Into the Woods director Craig Hutchings notes: “I am continually excited and inspired by the group of performers and artists who make up our cast of Into the Woods. Bringing together a musical this complex requires a cast filled with high caliber performers, and equally as talented musicians!  We here at The Ritz are fortunate to have both.  Yes the music is complex, intricate and often painfully specific, but our music director Collin Maier is very much up to the task of teaching, layering and mastering this difficult score.  While the characters and story may seem simple on their face, they are all filled with depth and background.  When you combine those elements, you end up with the Sondheim masterpiece that is Into the Woods.

And my special thanks go to Josh Bessinger who plays the Baker. He’s also the driving force behind the artistic vision for the set, and his artistic skill has been invaluable. I know you will love his performance as the Baker, but you should also know that he was responsible for far more than his performance.”

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, as well as several others. The musical is tied together by a story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family (the original beginning of The Grimm Brothers’ Rapunzel), their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

The musical debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986 and premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987, where it won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason) The musical has since been produced many times, with a 1988 US national tour, a 1990 West End production, a 1997 tenth anniversary concert, a 2002 Broadway revival, a 2010 London revival and in 2012 as part of New York City’s outdoor Shakespeare in the Park series.

A Disney film adaptation directed by Rob Marshall and starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski and Johnny Depp was released in 2014. The film grossed over $213 million worldwide and received three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.

(Some text courtesy Wikipedia)

CAST

Joshua Bessinger as the Baker

Megan Ruggles as the Baker’s Wife

Jenna Lubas as Cinderella

Jennie Knackstedt as Witch

Brittany Marie as Little Red

Zachary Moore as Jack

Ryan Ruggles as Narrator / Mysterious Man

Melissa Manzano as Jack’s Mother

Michael J. DeFlorio as Cinderella’s Prince / Wolf

Anthony Crosby as Rapunzel’s Prince

Chris Jewell as Steward

Jamie Talamo as Rapunzel

Krysten Cummings as Step Mother

Ellorah Mead as Florinda

Monette Solomon as Lucinda

Nicholas French as Cinderella’s Father

Jomarie Apelt as Granny / Giant

Robert Repici as Milky White

PRODUCTION TEAM

Craig Hutchings — Director

Collin Maier — Music Director

Jonathan Edmondson — Assistant Director

Bruce A. Curless – Producing Artistic Director

AJ Garcia — Costumer

Lauren Ackerman — Stage Manager

Maggie Harbord — ASM / Snow White

Complete Performance Schedule:

Thursday October 25 @ 7:30 pm

Friday October 26 @ 8:00 pm

Saturday October 27 @ 8:00 pm

Sunday October 28 @ 2:00 pm

Friday November 2 @ 8:00 pm

Saturday November 3 @ 8:00 pm

Sunday November 4 @ 2:00 pm

Wednesday November 7 @ 7:30 pm

Friday November 9 @ 8:00 pm

Saturday November 10 @ 8:00 pm

Sunday November 11 @ 2:00 pm

Wednesday November 14 @ 7:30 pm

Friday November 16 @ 8:00pm

Saturday November 17 @ 8:00 pm

Sunday November 18 @ 2:00 pm

Ticket Prices Range from $26 to $36

The Ritz Theatre Company was founded over thirty years ago to bring live, quality, professional productions to our region … and we’re still doing it today!

Throughout our history, we’ve aspired to make theatre accessible to everyone, to entertain our audiences with favorites, to challenge them (and ourselves) with complex works, to provide on-stage training for actors, to introduce kids to the magic of live theatre, and to help restore the historic building we call our home.

Managed by our staff, supported by a dedicated volunteer base, bolstered by our loyal subscribers, guided by our board of directors, and sustained by our generous sponsors and donors, the Ritz remains a gem in the community we gratefully serve.

Please join us!

Location:

915 White Horse Pike Haddon Township, nj 0810