Stagecrafters’ ‘Tuck Everlasting’ Blossoms With Life
I’ve loved Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting since I was a young boy. It was around the time of fourth grade when I discovered the pocket-sized paperback with the peaceful cabin on the front, completely oblivious to what lay within its pages. The world of Winnie Foster and the Tuck family was magical, exploring two sides of an impossible coin. While the fragility of life and the concept of time are at the core of the novel, it’s the exploration of hope and how one lives their lives that spoke to me the most. Having lived amongst the pages of this world for over two decades, I’ve come to feel part of the family, welcomed into the fold as well as the secrets. So, just imagine how excited I became when Stagecrafters announced Tuck Everlasting the musical as their season opener!
While I had heard of the musical adaptation of Babbitt’s work, it still eluded me on this theater journey, though I wasn’t sure why. With a journey on Broadway that was over before it even began, what about this show didn’t resonate with audiences? Honestly, after seeing Stagecrafter’s production with my own two eyes, I still don’t have an answer to that, as the show I saw was nothing short of magical. Tuck Everlasting the Musical, with a book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, directed by Jennifer Ward, highlights the beauty of life and the importance of living it, even when time isn’t on our side.
[Warning: spoilers from Stagecrafters’ Tuck Everlasting are below!]
Winnie stumbles into a magical world in Tuck Everlasting
As Tuck Everlasting opens, the Foster family is in a bit of a transitional period. Having lost the patriarch of the family, life stands to look drastically different for all three generations of women, although you might have a difficult time convincing young Winnie (Josephine O’Reilly) of that. Craving adventure and to escape the crushing grief at home, she desperately wants to leave the confines of her yard and visit the fair in town. So, naturally, she runs away from home to set out to see what life has in store past the posts of her prison.
It’s while on this excursion out in the forest that her family owns that Winnie crosses paths with Jesse Tuck (AJ Denomme), a moment that will change her life forever. Witnessing Jesse drink from a spring, Winnie attempts to do the same, an action that the former strongly advises against. The water itself is magical, granting everlasting life to whoever’s lips it touch. Unsure of what to do, Jesse takes Winnie to his family, who have gathered for their once-a-decade reunion.
The Tucks are caught off guard now that there’s another in on their secret. Miles (Nick Cupelli), Jesse’s eldest brother, is angered by the actions of his sibling, having viewed their immortality as a curse instead of a gift. Mae (Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker) and Angus (Kent Straith) are kinder than their son, but are no less apprehensive about the prospect of Winnie now knowing about the water and the fact that they can’t die.
If worrying about a young girl keeping their secret was their only problem, perhaps the Tucks would be alright; however, there’s another danger lurking around the corner. A strange man in a yellow suit (Quinn Costello) arrives in town, looking for evidence of a story passed down to him about eternal life and a bubbling brook. Is there a way for the Tuck family to make it out of this mess with their secret intact? But, perhaps even more importantly, what will Winnie decide to do with her life when she’s given the choice between death and living forever?
Stagecrafters is brimming with magic in this season opener
Part of me knew that when I walked into Stagecrafters, I was in for an exceptional piece of theater, with just my love for the novel to steer me in that direction. The foundation is strong, as it’s built on a novel still read and enjoyed five decades later, which means anything built on it has the potential to be extraordinary, and this production definitely was.
The first thing the audience noticed upon arriving at The Baldwin Theatre was the enormity of the set, which was as immersive as it was mesmerizing. Stagecrafters had not only crafted a forest right there on the stage, but had turned it into a work of art. The stylization of the trees and such looked almost like a children’s drawing, which takes certain artistic liberties. The foliage was represented by cut pieces of circular tubing, giving it a bubble-like design that absolutely took my breath away. I knew exactly where we were, and it was so much more than I could ever expect.
And that was before the show even began, but the scene and tone were already set. From that point on, Stagecrafters had only furthered the reality of Winnie and the Tucks through sets that felt massive in scale and impressive, to say the least, costumes that felt ripped from history and placed on the stage, and actors who not only knew their parts but embodied them.
There’s a part of me that walked into the show expecting Winnie to look and act very much like Alexis Bledel from the film, and what I got was a Winnie that felt even more alive. Josephine O’Reilly was truly a treasure to behold on stage. O’Reilly’s Winnie is so full of life, with an edge of mischief and a sense for adventure. While she was a woman from a certain time, she pushed against the chains that bound her to the world she knew, wanting so much more. O’Reilly’s energy was intoxicating to watch, as she truly felt like the right and only fit for a role such as this.
Her energy was only matched by that of AJ Denomme, who was exactly the Jesse I’ve had in my mind since first reading the novel. Jesse has such a love for life, specifically the privilege of never aging or dying, which allows him to have a carefree attitude toward his family’s circumstances. Denomme found the humanity within Jesse and infused him with so much life that, as an audience member, you can help but be filled with Joy.
Nick Cupelli had one of the more challenging roles on stage, remaining one of the only Tucks with a chip on his shoulder. Miles has experienced the most loss among the family members, which has made him angry and jaded. However, over the course of the show, you see moments of light within Miles’ darkness, making the character multifaceted. It takes someone with a healthy dose of talent to pull it off, which Cupelli does in spades.
However, the standouts amongst the Tucks have to be Ma and Pa Tuck, played brilliantly by Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker and Kent Straith, respectively. Growing up reading the novel, I struggled to relate to either of them, but the work that these two actors put into making both Angus and Mae well-rounded does wonders. You can understand the impossible weight their current predicament has on them. They’re trapped between life and death, unable to live with their boys, and also confronted with Winnie’s flair for life. There’s a delicate beauty to both of them, and it speaks to the talent that both Steinbrecher-Booker and Straith have.
Tuck Everlasting found life at Stagecrafters
I could write an entire novel about my time with Stagecrafters’ production of Tuck Everlasting and still have more praise to heap onto it. While the story itself is strong, this theater went above and beyond to make it something great. They’ve also provided a moment for audience members to reflect on their own lives, and perhaps find a new way forward to actually living.
While Tuck Everlasting may be over, stay tuned for Stagecrafters’ next production: Amy and the Orphans! Have you seen Tuck Everlasting the Musical before? Let us know @BoxSeatBabes on all social media platforms!
Exclusive Interview: Jennifer Ward and Julia Cody of Stagecrafters’ Tuck Everlasting
