Gorham High School (GHS) is excited to announce that students will be performing “Into the Woods” this February. “Into the Woods” is a well-loved musical with beautiful music composed by the late Stephen Sondheim.
Sondheim, who wrote music and lyrics for dozens of Broadway musicals, passed away this Thanksgiving weekend at the age of 91. This show was written by James Lapine and intertwines the wishes and quests of four common characters of Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
Performances are scheduled for the weekends of February 4, 5 and 6, and February 11, 12 and 13 in the McCormack Performing Arts Center at the high school. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 and Sunday afternoons at 2:30. Tickets will be $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
Joshua Hurd, the director of school musicals at GHS said, “The musical at Gorham High School has such a long standing tradition, both in the community and school, and not being able to produce the show in 2021 due to COVID was heartbreaking. It is exciting to be preparing to bring musical theater back to Gorham High School. There will be some restrictions on masking and social distancing, but this will still be an incredible and memorable experience.”
The Musical Director is Matthew Murray, and the choreographer is Mariel Roy. This production team has worked together on the previous successful musicals, “Once On This Island”, “Cinderella” and “Big Fish”.
Annikka Mocciola, who will play Little Red Riding Hood in the show, described the importance of these performances. “The big thing with being in musical theatre is that it’s a family, and I’m genuinely never happier than when I’m rehearsing and performing with a cast. Especially in a show like ‘Into The Woods’, where one of the biggest themes is the concept of found family and coming together despite all the hardships. It’s an incredible experience. Singing lyrics like ‘Do not let it grieve you; no one leaves for good. You are not alone.’ will be a heartfelt moment that will really touch everyone who’s involved: performers, instrumentalists, and audience members alike.”
Hurd encourages the Gorham community to embrace this musical. “Please come see “Into the Woods” this February. Come support live musical theater in high schools again!”