![]() The choreography in the Firestone production ranges from Charleston-style dance steps to the balletic "The Story of Winnie Foster," which depicts Winnie's later life. Anna said she enjoys the show's varied styles of music and dance, which include folk and jazz. The music in "Tuck Everlasting" includes pop/rock, folk and contemporary Broadway styles. "It was a little challenging to pick apart kind of finding that struggle of she wants to leave and she wants to explore the world but she can't because she's trapped in her house," Anna said of Winnie, who's in a mourning period after her father died.Īnna's Winnie chafes under her suffocating mother, telling her pet toad, "I don't want to just be good. Firestone, which competes this year, has won eight Dazzle Awards since the high school theater awards program began in 2016.Īrts picks: 'Say It Loud' at Knight Stage, Firestone in Dazzle Awards at Connor Palaceįirestone lead actress Anna now has the challenge of playing wide-eyed innocent Winnie, who is making continual discoveries as an 11-year-old. It was a busy afternoon for the cast, who also had visitors Amber McIntyre and Emily Suman from Playhouse Square observing as part of the 2023 Dazzle Awards program. Afterward, Coughlin reminded the actors to always be in character and have expressive faces. ![]() ![]() Senior Jackson Bird, who plays the suave villain Man in the Yellow Suit, rehearsed the jazzy number "Everything's Golden" with the ensemble. Student dance captain Jordan Benjamin also worked with the cast, including slowing down the fast-paced jazz dance "Partner in Crime" to perfect the complex choreography. On March 6, two students helped run rehearsal at Firestone, with Fiona Coughlin assisting with music directing as the cast sang to piano accompaniment by Firestone alumnus Steve Miller. ![]() "It's serious, but it's not too serious," he said of the story's theme of immortality. "They enjoy the music, and it's got some real dance focus to it. "The kids really like it," Zimmerman said. Tuck and Winnie are played by sophomores Kyle McFalls, 16, and Anna Foltz, 15, who lead a cast of 29. "The connection between those two is that they are both looking for adventure," Zimmerman. In the musical, preteen Winnie and Jesse are friends. The stage musical is different from the Disney movie, which includes a romantic element with a 15-year-old heroine. More: Genie homecoming in 'Aladdin' a blast for Akron native Marcus Martin Winnie, who's yearning for adventure, fights to help the Tucks protect their secret and ends up facing an extraordinary choice. Sheltered, 11-year-old Winnie Foster learns their secret after meeting Jesse Tuck, who is forever 17. "They've done this accidentally," Zimmerman said of the Tucks' immortality. In this fantasy set in Treegap, New Hampshire, in 1893, the Tuck family has become immortal after drinking from a magical spring nearly 90 years earlier. ![]() The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2016, is based on the popular 1975 children's fantasy novel by Natalie Babbitt, which also was adapted as a Disney film in 2002. "I liked that it was family friendly, and I liked the magical part of it and the family element," Zimmerman said. His wife, Elynmarie Kazle, production manager for the Firestone show, recommended the musical after working on a youth production of "Tuck Everlasting" in South Carolina several years ago. The high school cast will offer five performances of the folksy musical Thursday through Sunday at Firestone Theatre at Firestone Community Learning Center in Akron.ĭirector Mark Zimmerman said he doesn't know of any Akron-area theaters producing the musical in recent history. Firestone Theatre is offering some family-friendly fun with an old-fashioned setting, magical elements and whimsical storytelling with the musical "Tuck Everlasting," opening this week. ![]()
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