Thursday through Sunday, First Year Players performed the 2015 musical “Tuck Everlasting” in the Student Activities Building for their final show of the academic year. The five performances took audiences on an emotional rollercoaster touching on themes of mortality, grief and childhood innocence. First Year Players has been committed to bringing musical theater to the University community since its official establishment in 1981, comprising their casts exclusively of new students — first-years and transfers.
“Tuck Everlasting” is based on Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 novel of the same name and takes place in Treegap, New Hampshire. Protagonist Winnie Foster — played by first-year College student Kelsey Lagon in FYP’s rendition — meets the Tuck family, a mother, father and two sons immortalized by magical water almost 100 years prior. Foster develops a close relationship with Jesse Tuck, portrayed by first-year College student Liam Bradford, with Jesse distracting Foster from the sadness and entrapment she feels at home due to her father’s recent death. By the end of the story, Foster must decide if she wishes to become immortal, or if immortality strips life of its purpose.
Layne Parker, FYP director and third-year College student, said that she chose to put the musical in FYP’s program this year because of its captivating story and her personal experience with the piece. “Tuck Everlasting” was the first play that Parker ever stage managed in her theatrical career, making the performance especially meaningful for her.
“I mean, it has really beautiful music, and I think it's a really compelling story,” Parker said. “But I thought it was really sweet to have a full circle moment and have the last show I do be the same show that I kind of started out with.”
The show had three main settings — Foster’s house, the woods where the Tucks live and the fair — each associated with different emotional states in the play. In Foster’s house, the actors were somber, grieving and wore all black with constant tension between Foster and her mother. The moments in the woods were exciting and mysterious, with Jesse bringing Foster on small adventures, taking her on top of trees and sharing his life stories. The scenes at the fair were comical, with ensemble members wearing extravagant, bright costumes, also doing acrobatic tricks and lifts.
According to Lagon, the actors were acutely aware of these complex differences in setting and themes, making sure to represent the emotional aspects appropriately while balancing the play’s comedic side.
“You have to balance the really heavy, existential topics about life and how fleeting it is and how beautiful it is, with, also, elements of comedy,” Lagon said. “You have to find a way to treat the heavy parts with respect while also being fun.”
The cast also enhanced their storytelling through dance performances, with six featured student dancers in the show. Among them were two dance captains — first-year Education student Raegan Holloran and first-year College student Jessica Rosenberg. When in the woods, the dancers wore light green flowy dresses, magnifying the natural setting. In the triumphant number “Top of the World,” dancers worked together using elegant, light ballet movements to reflect the song’s lyrics about nature. Parker said she gave the cast members freedom to share ideas towards these performances, even in some of the choreography.
“We have a part where two of the dancers really wanted to do this cool lift that they practiced, and I was like, ‘Yeah, absolutely do that. I think it'll look great,’ and it's a fun time in the scene,” Parker said. “So there were a lot of times where I was like, ‘I want you to have creative freedom,’ and I think it adds a lot of character to the show.”
The end of the show included an emotional track titled “The Story of Winnie Foster,” where audiences were able to see Foster’s progression in life after her experience with the Tucks. With no dialogue and solely dance, Foster confronted loss, growth and fulfillment as she grew up — eventually getting married, having children and passing away herself. Darcy Marcoux, first-year College student and audience member, said that on opening night she found the cast’s performance of this scene extremely moving.
“The ending … was so moving and powerful, and I almost cried,” Marcoux said. “It's just a really great, talented cast of people.”
According to Lagon, FYP’s showing of “Tuck Everlasting” required a great amount of preparation, with rehearsals running from 7 to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursday in the week leading up to the event. Amidst this process, the cast said they were able to create close relationships and welcome new members into the FYP community. Through this semester’s theatrical finale, the group made an emotional impact not only on each other but on audience members as well, sharing the everlasting tale of Winnie Foster.
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