Hampton High School spring musical returns with ‘Into the Woods’

They say that everyone deserves a second chance.

Perhaps that applies to plays, too.

In 2008, Daniel Franklin directed the Stephen Sondheim-composed “Into the Woods” as the Hampton High School spring musical. Fourteen years later, he has selected a rare repeat of productions.

“Maybe it’s the fondness as we look back over time, but I always thought, what a fantastic show that was,” he said. “And I knew I always wanted to revisit it.”

The musical, with book by James Lapine, takes the time-tested characters chronicled by the Brothers Grimm and places them amid a thought-provoking plot.

“This has a lot of exploration of the human condition and really fleshed-out characters who go through changes,” Franklin said. “Some redeem themselves, and some are lost. But they all go through these developments.”

With the passage of time, he has a clearer overall picture of the creators’ intentions.

“I was thinking about some of the themes in that show and realized, oh, my gosh. I really did some of this a true injustice by glossing over certain elements,” he said.

The result is a 2022 show that should represent a new experience for audience members, with one exception.

“Those alumni who were in it or those who remember it from 2008, they’re going to see the same set but with different embellishments, a different artistic take on it,” Franklin said.

“Into the Woods” represents the first Hampton High School spring musical since 2019 not subjected to some type of complication.

Two years ago, rehearsals for Rupert Holmes’ “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” ended abruptly, along with just about everything else, with the onset of the covid pandemic. In 2021, “Pippin” was staged in late May and early June with social distancing among audience members and everyone required to wear masks.

“We do have students who still wear masks to rehearsals, and we’re going to have masking opportunities for the performances, as well,” Franklin said about “Into the Woods.” “We want to make sure they’re just as comfortable.”

Meanwhile, the lifting of Hampton Township School District’s mask mandate produced somewhat of a revelation for Franklin, who is working on his 70th show for the district in various capacities.

“Those first few rehearsals where the majority of the cast was maskless, you could hear everything. I never noticed it before, because we were all wearing masks,” he said. “So you had this clear projection coming out, and you really noticed the difference.”

Ready to present “Into the Woods” are cast members including Kai Suyama, Radhika Schelbert, Marissa Martinoski, Brooks Brady, Aja Lynn, Miles McKinney, Leah McConnell, Lauren Michael, Audrey Alling, Clara Mauro, Shane Noonem, Danielle Butler, Lindsay Liebro, Alaina Pursh, Aiden Fedell, Kylie Capsambelis, Giulia Maura, Andrew Kaehly, Lillian Ketler and Liam Shields.

Ensemble members are Katie Baker, Natalie Chapman, Ella Kornick, Lily Beth Kuhn, Paula Ott, Adrianna Petit Anta, Halee Pilarski, Z Plizga, Echo Schomaeker, Sadie Shelkey, Madison Slovick and Kiley Vande Geest.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. April 22, 23, 29 and 30 in the high school auditorium, 2929 McCully Road, Hampton. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased by visiting www.hamptoncats.org/tickets.