"Into The Woods" - A Fairy Tale For Adults
[Stylized Woods] Stephen Sondheim has given us a lot to think about in this wickedly funny and yet brilliant musical featuring all of your childhood characters. For example, if Rapunzel's Prince has fallen in love with a girl that is locked in a castle with no doors, how does he visit her? And just what is Jack's mom supposed to do with the carcass of a giant in her backyard? And the Witch tells us to watch what we say to our kids, "Children Will Listen". Into The Woods opens July 7th and plays Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. through August 5th.

The Magic Circle Rep. has assembled a terrific cast [The Baker, His Wife and the Witch] (many of them new to us) for your enjoyment. The Witch is played by Grace Hegy in her first appearance with Magic Circle Rep. Her extensive and diversified experience includes singing for a band, appearing as anthem vocalist at the Goodwill Games in Russia and as a soloist in the "Messiah". Her theatrical experience includes roles in Oklahoma, Fiddler On The Roof, Harvey, Ten Little Indians, Of Thee I Sing, The King And I, The Music Man (at Sacramento Music Circus) and many more.

Julie Holmes, [The Baker, His Wife and Jack] plays the Baker's Wife. While new to us, she too has an extensive theatre background, including four appearances at Music Circus and three at Garbeau's Dinner Theatre. Her experiences includes roles in Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, Nunsence, Gypsy, Evita, Carousel, 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls and many others.

The Baker is played by Charles Mullins in his first appearance with Magic Circle. His show credits include, The Music Man, Shenandoah, Oklahoma!, Guys And Dolls, Big River and many others. [The Baker, His Wife and Little Red Riding Hood] Charles has a M.A. in Speech Communications from CSU Fresno and juggles flaming batons.

The Narrator of "Into The Woods" is played by Tim Galvin, another newcomer. Tim has appeared in Oklahoma!, City of Angels, Little Shop of Horrors, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Damn Yankees at Davis Musical Theatre Co. and in Oliver, Bye, Bye, Birdie, The Music Man, Our Town, You Can't Take It With You and many others at Theatre El Dorado.

Marika Galvin, [Florinda, Lucinda, Cinderella and Her Stepmother] who plays Cinderella, returns to Magic Circle Rep. having made her debut performance here as Marion in The Music Man. Her other credits include roles in Oklahoma!, Anything Goes, The Secret Garden, Carousel, Company, The Boyfriend, The King And I, City of Angels, and Damn Yankees.

Robert May plays Cinderella's Prince. Bob comes to us from the Sierra [Jack, His Mother and Milkywhite] Repertory Theatre where he has appeared in The Man of LaMancha, State Fair, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Shenandoah, The Music Man, Grease, The Fantasticks and, of course, Oklahoma!.

Jack, of beanstalk fame, is played by Jeremiah Lowder, who made his Magic Circle Rep. debut in our production of Fiddler On The Roof. Two summers ago he played Hero in our production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. Jeremiah recently received rave reviews for his portrayal of the man-eating plant in the Runaway Stage production of Little Shop Of Horrors. Jeremiah is a member of our cabaret singing group, [Rapunzel] The Magic Circle Express.

Kristen Heitman, a product of our Youth and Master workshop programs, plays Little Red Riding Hood. Kristen's first appearance on our main stage was in Quilters last fall. She has also appeared in Grease, Oliver, 42nd Street, West Side Story, [The Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood] Anything Goes and Little Shop of Horrors, the latter at Runaway Stage Company.

Rosemarie Gerould has directed "Into The Woods" with her usual eye for pacing and character development. This show, while featuring many children's story characters, may be too intense for small children. It really is an adult musical. Curtain time for all performances is 8:00 p.m. and ticket prices remain $15 regular, $12.50 seniors and students.