"Be careful what you say, children will listen. Be careful what you do, children will see-- and learn."
"I was raised to be charming, not sincere." "I wish a lot of things."
"You are not alone-- no one is alone." "Wishes come true...not free."
I will be the first to admit that Sondheim is not my favorite. As a matter of fact, I have resisted producing his work until this year. Why? He's FREAKING DIFFICULT! I was raised on a steady diet of Rogers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Lowe, so Sondheim's lack of a discernable melody in much of his work drives me crazy. But through the process of directing Into the Woods I have learned to not only appreciate his musical genius, but his brlliant insight on the human condition as well.
To conquer this difficult musical score, I enlisted the amazing Mary Jeter to start working with some of the best musical theatre voices at FWBHS in October. I could not do this show without her musical and vocal skill. I insisted that the student actors and delve so deeply into the music so that they are able to understand the obvious message and the nuances in the lyrics and score. I wanted my students to experience Sondheim's world-- and what happens when your wishes finally come true.
Sondheim scholar Thomas Uhm writes, " [it] is not as simple as saying 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it'. It is being cognizant of the fact that what we wish for are things we truly do not need-- and the more we pursue our wishes, the greater the tendency to ignore what we possess in the search for what we want. . .There are many smaller issues, such as tolerance and understanding, which fall into the greater category of challenging the assumptions we make about ourselves and others. A vast majority of the characters in the play are definately not what they seem, despite our instinct or desire to neatly categorize them. . . No one is alone because all of your actions affect everybody else, and you can't escape responsibility for those actions. People, like it or not, are inextricably interconnected. . . However, there is the extremely positive message that it is only by working together and forming a community that problems which are much too large for us individually to overcome can be conquered together. Collective blame, but also collective solution."
With all of the negativity and finger-pointing that seems to permeate our nation, I think this message resonates now more than ever. When it was produced in the 80's, the tensions with Russia and the AIDS crisis were the overarching umbrella that covered the deep themes of this story, and now we have the Trump presidency and the sharp division in ideology that has come with it. Which brings me back to the first lyric at the top of this page. Careful the things you say, children will listen; careful the things you do, children will see. And learn. I hope that no matter what the future holds, the young people under my care will learn to always have an open heart, an open mind ( that is willing to change), and the tangible understanding that we are definately not alone. Our wishes may not always come true-- and that is a good thing. We need each other now more than ever, and the realization that being grateful for what we already have is the first step in achieving a real happily ever after.
Thank you again for spending your evening with us. We do not take that for granted and appreciate your support. Our children and our community need music and theatre and art, and we thank you for helping us provide it.
Christa Whittaker, Director
