Students At Our Lady Of Lake School Channel Stephen Sondheim

VERONA, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of Our Lady of the Lake School. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here.

For its second theatrical presentation, Our Lady of the Lake School (OLL) selected the extraordinary, popular and award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. Needing to accommodate a larger audience, OLL turned to the Mount Saint Dominic Academy (MSDA) stage for its presentation, which debuted last weekend to a packed audience. The production was co-directed by Jihan Hanna and Catherine Duran, OLL educators. Musical direction was handled by Jihan Hanna. Choreography was overseen by Isabelle Duran and Grace Corrigan, OLL Alumnae and MSDA students.

Fairy tales begin “once upon a time” and end “happily ever after.” Not so fast! After all the dreams come true in this Tony Award-winning musical, everybody returns to the woods for a reality check. Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Jack (of beanstalk fame) and Rapunzel get tangled up with a bevy of other fairytale characters and a few new ones created to add to the chaos and discover the unexpected consequences of having wishes come true. Journey into a fantastical world where traditional fairytales take on fractured new lives and teach important new lessons.

“Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods was the perfect production for our students,” said Jihan Hanna, Co-Director and Musical Director of the production. “They passionately embraced their roles and the final product was spectacular. We could not be prouder!” Hanna concluded.

“The stories told in the musical are tales that we all know and love but they are told with a fresh, unexpected twist,” said Catherine Duran, Co-Director of the production. “Our cast really rose to the challenge with this presentation and provided an authentic rendition for all ages to enjoy,” Duran concluded.

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