Concord High School students will draw you into a dark forest this weekend.
Into the Woods will have shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and a matinee Saturday at 2 p.m. at the school auditorium.
The musical by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapien combines classic German and French fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.
Guiding the tale, the Narrator tells of the Baker and his wife’s desire for a child and how they are cursed by the Witch.
To lift the curse, the Witch tells them they must obtain for her “the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold” in just three days.
And off they go into the woods.
Along the way, the Baker and his wife run into Jack (of Beanstalk lore), Rapunzel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, princes and a mysterious man.
“It’s interesting how they all intertwine, interconnect,” Director Clint Klose said to the Concord Insider.
Don’t come expecting a pleasant and quick resolution. The mission is fraught with complications from the start.
There’s a runaway cow, traps, a wolf, jealous step-sisters, infidelity, attacks by giants and the deaths of several characters.
Into the Woods is more reminiscent of the original moralistic nature of fairy tales than more modern sanitized ones.
“You’ll recognize the stories, but in Act II, it’s very different,” Klose said to the Insider. “We always like to do shows that aren’t your typical show.”
More than 20 students perform in the cast, with a crew of 30 and orchestra pit of 17 more students.
Tickets to the show are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. You can reserve in advance by calling 717-7670.
More on the marquee Also in Concord, Bishop Brady students will present the musical “Little Shop of Horrors.”
As clumsy floral assistant Seymour (Ethan Jalbert) pines after his co-worker Audrey (Rachel Bittman), he adopts a weird plant that appears after a solar eclipse. The plant, Audrey II, doesn’t do so well at first – until Seymour cuts himself and discovers the plant has a taste for blood.
Things don’t go so well after that.
As the students will tell you: “Don’t feed the plant.”
Shows will be Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the school gym. Tickets are $8 for Brady students, $10 for adults and $25 for a weekend pass. For more information or tickets, visit bishopbrady.edu.
More than 120 children will perform “The Little Mermaid” opening next week in Franklin as part of a school district-wide art integration project.
The Disney musical tells the story of the mermaid Ariel and a quest to win the love of Prince Eric despite the meddling of the sea witch Ursula.
Shows will be at the Franklin Opera House, 316 Central St., from Wednesday to May 20 at 7:30 p.m. and May 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 to $16 and can be purchased at franklinoperahouse.org.
The Peacock Players of Nashua will bring the rock ‘n’ roll musical “Grease” to the stage opening Friday at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St.
The show stars Mac Galinson as Danny and Gabby Robinson as Sandy. Bow residents Allison Leger and Shannon Mullen are among cast members.
You’ll want to get up and dance along to favorite songs “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’ ” and “You’re the One that I Want.”
Shows run Friday to May 21 at 7 p.m. on Fridays, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $12 to $17. For more information, visit peacockplayers.org or call the box office at 886-7000.
Get some laughs at the musical comedy “A Funny thing Happened on the Way to Forum,” the upcoming show by the Winni Players at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith.
Set in ancient Rome, a crafty slave named Pseudolus tried to win the hand of beautiful but unintelligent Philia for his master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. Things do not go as planned.
Shows will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 to $23 and can be purchased at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org or by calling 279-0333.