Young Stars Theatre Academy has been providing a space for young people to experience what it’s like to be in full Broadway musical productions in South Pasadena since 2016 and has been in existence for over 25 years. For their summer camps it is always astounding to see them put together an entire musical in 10 camp days and this latest production of “Into The Woods Jr.” is no different.

Sixty-eight cast members spread out over two full casts sing their hearts out in one of Sondheim’s most delightful and whimsical musicals. Anyone familiar with Sondheim knows the difficulty of the score and it is incredible to watch these kids, some for whom this is their first musical, not only handle the vocal work, but soar!

The story is a wonderful mash-up of several fairytales that intersect in the woods. A childless baker and his wife discover that the witch next door has cast a spell on them -that their house would always be a barren one. But she engages them on a quest for a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold, in order to break the spell. So off the baker goes into the woods on his quest and along the way he meets Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf and Red’s grandmother, Rapunzel, a couple of princes, Cinderella and a giant. As the stories and characters collide, we discover a deeply felt exploration of parenting and loss. It’s joyful, funny and entertaining, but also surprisingly moving. Tears were shed for sure, especially at the curtain call rendition of “Children Will Listen”.

In the show I saw which was the Festival Cast, director Liz Barone, really brings out the best in her young actors and features them in clever ways. Jack’s cow, Milky White, is often portrayed by a wooden figure or a puppet of sorts, but here, Barone has him played by actor, Abigail Finn, which was absolutely adorable and made for some hilarious and sweet moments. Other standout moments are the strong and fiesty Lexi Callan as Little Red, a layered, heartfelt performance from Eliza Giles as the witch, and a delightful, breakout performance by Caighsi Currie as Cinderella. New to YSTA, she is one to watch.

I always marvel at the cleverness of this show, and this production really captures the magic and poignancy of the underlying themes. In other words, this kids show is not just for kids. The humor and the music and just watching these kids put this together in ten days is inspiring for everyone!

Performances of the next production of Into The Woods will be:

Sat. August 10th 2024, 2:00 pm
Sat. August 10th 2024, 6:00 pm
Sun. August 11th 2024, 2:00 pm
Sun. August 11th 2024, 6:00 pm

Fremont Centre Theatre located at 1000 Fremont Ave, Ste 100 South Pasadena, CA 91030
For tickets and information call: 818-808-6714 or visit YoungStarsTheatre.org

Questions about the show or upcoming auditions and shows? Email: [email protected]

The post A Most Delightful “Into The Woods” at Young Stars Theatre Academy first appeared on The South Pasadenan | South Pasadena News.