Tuck Everlasting – PrideProductions Musical Theatre Show

If allowed to live forever, would you do it?

Winnie Foster, an eleven-year-old child, was given that same opportunity. Winnie Foster was surrounded her entire life by a white-picket fence, which overlooked looming woods in Tree Gap, New Hampshire. After an argument with her mother, Winnie runs away from home and embarks on an adventure of a lifetime, when she unexpectedly runs into Jesse Tuck: a member of the Tuck Family.

When Winnie is faced with life-changing news that endangers the secret of the Tuck Family, she is faced with conflict to protect the long-running secret held within the Tuck Family. 

As Winnie continued on her journey, she was faced with two differing paths: live the rest of her life and grow old, or stay with the Tuck Family for an eternal journey.  

Tuck Everlasting is a musical based on the American children’s novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It was then turned to the stage by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle. The musical score played throughout Tuck Everlasting was created by Nathan Tysen and Chris Miller.

PrideProductions Musical Theatre class put on a remarkable rendition of Tuck Everlasting this past weekend, which had two extraordinary casts. The talent held within these two casts was exceptional, with cast members playing their main roles on their show day, and switching to the ensemble on the opposite cast’s day. With roughly a month to put on this show, PrideProductions left a memorable experience for audience members. 

The Tree Gap cast were the stars of the night on the 28th, which was also the show’s Senior Night.

Neve Holloway gave a stellar performance portraying the young, curious eleven-year-old Winnie Foster. Holloway’s beautiful vocals shined throughout her songs like “Seventeen (Reprise),” and “Everlasting.” Holloway’s mannerisms on the stage provided an exceptional portrayal of Winnie Foster. 

Beau Dolan gave it all, portraying Jesse Tuck, with Dolan’s stellar vocals resonating beautifully in his songs: “Seventeen” and “Top of the World.” Dolan had a broad vocal range throughout the show, and Dolan effortlessly delivered demanding vocals throughout all his songs. Dolan performed a creative portrayal of Jesse, and kept Jesse’s story a memorable one, even when he was not on the stage. 

Jonathan Kirkpatrick’s performance left audience members cheering in their seats. His portrayal of the villain: The Man in the Yellow Suit, did not disappoint. Kirkpatrick’s vocals in his songs, “Everything’s Golden” and “Story of the Main in the Yellow Suit,” left a lasting impression on the audience. The confidence and cockiness Kirkpatrick portrayed through The Man in the Yellow Suit were impressive, and Kirkpatrick created an unforgettable performance of Tuck Everlasting. 

PrideProductions’ ability to create such a flawless scene in “The Story of Winnie Foster,” was beyond creative, and the transitions between Winnie’s different ages to signify her choosing to live out her life was unique. Adding on, the way they showed who Winnie ended up with when living out the remainder of her life (Hugo), and how he grew old with Winnie was very heartfelt and a creative detail to the show. 

The technical side of Tuck Everlasting was even more magical. With a jaw-dropping set, I felt truly pulled into the story in Tree Gap, New Hampshire. Zoe Korff, the set designer of Tuck Everlasting did a beautiful job of encapsulating the story of Tuck Everlasting. The many different set pieces throughout the show helped bring the story of Tuck Everlasting together, and the run crew did a stellar job of providing the scene changes for the cast members. The scene changes were flawless and contributed to the smooth transition in telling the story of Tuck Everlasting.

Additionally, the costumes contributed to the story of Tuck Everlasting. Led by Addie Beene and Zoe Korff, the group did a perfect job of setting up the 1800s era of clothing. The costume changes throughout the show demonstrated a change in time, which was a unique detail. Also, the costume change on stage Mae Tuck performed was a flawless quick-change, which happened within an instant.  The attention to detail was truly remarkable.

The choreography was also engaging, led by Samantha Shuffleton and Mia Sirinsky. The choreography brought fun and youthful light to the show, with whole groups dancing numbers like “Partner in Crime,” which featured Jesse, Winnie, and the Ensemble of Tuck Everlasting. The choreography in “Partner in Crime” was unique and provided a lively mood throughout the song. Also, the choreography throughout the show was intriguing, with ensemble members coming out at various times and just moving through various motions to tell a story, which was very unique.

There is never a dull moment when watching a PrideProductions show, and their next show will be their spring musical: Into the Woods!