Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting

Broadhurst Theatre

April 2, 2016

Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

If you ever read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and thought it would make a great musical, you’ve got to see the Broadway production now in previews at the Broadhurst Theatre.  Composer Chris Miller, lyricist Nathan Tyson, and book writers, Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, exquisitely interpret this magical story for the Great White Way.  Director / Choreographer Casey Nicholaw invigorates the production with grace and panache.  The entire cast provides the heart and verve that entice and engage all your senses.

Eleven year old Winnie Foster (played by Sarah Charles Lewis) feels confined by the fence around her front yard and trapped in having to always be a “good girl.”  She escapes into the woods behind her house.  There she meets seventeen year old Jessie Foster (played by Andrew Keenan-Bolger).  He talks her into climbing to the top of the tallest tree in the forest, where Winnie gets a glimpse of her home from a new perspective.  Jessie tells Winnie his secret.  He and his family have not aged since they drank from a spring in the forest over one hundred years ago.  Neither of them knows the dangers that lie ahead when this secret gets out.

Andrew Keenan-Bolger & Sarah Charles Lewis
Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

Sarah Charles Lewis is making her Broadway debut as Winnie Foster in this production.  She is warm-hearted, energetic and truly amazing.  Andrew Keenan-Bolger is adventurous and trusting as Jessie Foster.  Carolee Carmello and Michael Park play his parents, Mae and Angus Tuck.  Together they give authentic and grounded performances.  Their relationship deepens as they open their hearts to eleven year old Winnie Foster.  Robert Lenzi is strong and endearing as Jessie’s brother, Miles.  His character opens up with honesty and vulnerability in Act II, when he tells the story of his son and how having an everlasting life caused them to separate.  Michael Wartella is witty and charming as Hugo, the impeccable side kick to Fred Applegate’s steadfast Constable Joe.  One of the highlights of the show is Terrance Mann as the Man in the Yellow Suit.  He is funny, evil, and superb.

Terrance Mann as the Man in the Yellow Suit
Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

The set, designed by Walt Spangler, and lighting, designed by Kenneth Posner, give the production the magic and whimsy it deserves.  The tree is most astounding.  As Winnie and Jessie climb up the stylistically designed trunk and walk out on its bridge-like branches, it fills the stage like a green fortress.  The costumes by Gregg Barnes are perfect for the characters, setting, and time period.  Casey Nicholaw’s direction is seamless, but it is his choreography that brings the show to life.  The dancing connects the story elements, enhances the emotion of each scene, creates an atmosphere of enchantment, and brings the story to a stunning conclusion.

Tuck Everlasting opens on April 26.  It is sure to be a hit, so get your tickets now!

Domenick Danza