By Nicole Talamo
@ntalamocourant
On November 18, the theater department debuted their 1st musical of the year, Tuck Everlasting, based on the book by Natalie Babbitt. The story follows Winnie Foster, a curious young girl who comes across Jesse Tuck, drinking from a freshwater spring that happened to make him and his family immortal. The show’s main theme is the debate about immortality and the different viewpoints of it shown through the antagonist of the story, the man in the yellow suit, who wants to make the water from the spring open to the public.
The cast has rehearsal almost every day after school where they learn music, practice dances, or go over their scenes. The Music Director Sarah Gleason finds that, “the energy of the freshman and sophomore classes is amazing because they are so excited to be together producing theater.”
Even though a large number of students in this show are only two months into their first year of high school, they are acclimating well and showing the school what they can do. “Everyone’s worked so hard. We have a really talented cast and I think when people hear that the show is Tuck Everlasting they may not know about it or understand how it’s a musical, but it’s totally worth it to come and watch,” Sophomore Isa Temple said.
The cast has also had time to grow together because of the collaborative nature of theater. “Everyone’s become very close and we’ve all learned a lot about work ethic by putting in the hard work at tech, showing up to rehearsal on time and staying focused.” Isa said.
Unlike the book that has been around since 1975, the musical is fairly new, having made its broadway debut in 2016 and the students are following the professionals to help them with their roles. “Andrew keenan-Bolger who plays Jesse Tuck on Broadway has over a two and a half octave range, so me as a fifteen year old sophomore is trying to tackle that upper range and showing all of the different sides to Jesse,” Bennett Gropper.
While looking to the professionals who performed the roles ahead of them, the cast members work to bring their own personality to their roles. “When you step on the stage, it’s like a whole different world because you’re not just playing a character, you’re playing another version of yourself,” Bennett said. “You have this really amazing chemistry with other characters and it’s the best feeling in the world – you’re not playing someone else, you’re playing a different version of you.”
The show has a lot to offer from reflecting on deep concepts to entertaining dance numbers and songs. “My favorite part of the show is that it’s different from a lot of the shows that we’ve done because it has a lot of maturity to the music but it’s also fun and lighthearted.” Ms. Gleason said.
Not only does the enthusiasm and talent of the underclassmen make the show a must see, but the musical itself poses a lot of thoughtful questions. “This show makes you think about mortality and the true beauty of life,” Bennett said. “You live forever, but you don’t have a life. You’re not alive, you’re just living.”
So, why come see tuck everlasting and show your support to the NCHS drama department?
“Tuck Everlasting is an iconic story of wonder, a story of family, and a story about wishing for things that in the end you might not want,” Ms. Gleason said. “It’s thoughtful, it’s fun, it’s humorous, and I think all generations would really enjoy the show.”
