Bloomfield High School thespians head ‘Into the Woods’

Photo Courtesy of Maria Rivas
Onstage in the Bloomfield High School auditorium are teen thespians Keira Moynahan, Andrew LoMonte and Gabbi Nucci.

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Virtual classes haven’t stopped the curtain from rising on Bloomfield High School’s annual winter musical. Students will take the stage on Feb. 25 for opening night of “Into the Woods,” the Stephen Sondheim musical based on fairy tales. Chosen in part because of the smaller cast and fewer required set pieces, the musical will be done socially distant with a limited number of audience members per show. Director Brandon Doemling didn’t want to shift the annual winter production to a virtual setting.

“A lot of people are doing it over Zoom or doing livestreams, but that’s not theater,” he said in a phone interview with The Independent Press on Feb. 19. “Theater is live.”

There are fewer parts in “Into the Woods,” and a smaller ensemble, which allows for rehearsals without a large crowd of people. The show doesn’t require choreography or large dance scenes, either. There won’t be any moving set pieces, and the ensemble will largely stay in the same place on stage the whole time. The performers will also be wearing masks specially made to allow for singing onstage.

“The staging is very different,” Doemling said. “How do you have actors on stage between plastic and not make it look like they are? How do we have walls up but make it look like they’re together when they’re apart? It’s different, but it’s doable. Hopefully the audience accepts that.”

This is the second stage production BHS has put on during the COVID-19 pandemic; the fall play, “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” was a radio play adapted for the stage that allowed the actors to remain socially distanced onstage while in radio booths. Thematically, both the fall production and “Into the Woods” match what’s going on in the real world. In “Into the Woods,” the characters are trying to navigate the forest they have never been in before.

“Frankenstein was a monster, and the person who created him didn’t want to admit it,” Doemling said. “Then they start blaming each other. So we’ve found two shows that fit.”

Andrew LoMonte, a sophomore who is playing Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk,” agreed.

“People are going to a place they’re not from,” he said in a phone interview. “That’s us with the pandemic. We’re going into something we don’t know anything about.”

“Into the Woods” is a show that LoMonte has always wanted to be in, and the same goes for Megan Moynahan, a junior who is playing the Witch. This show is one of her favorites, and the role she was cast in is one she’s been waiting to play. Even with all the changes that make putting on a musical more difficult, the cast is grateful to be there.

“It’s been interesting and unlike any other production,” Moynahan said. “We’re all finding new ways to work together. There are more leads than ensemble members, but even the ensemble parts have a lot to do. I think we’re doing more character work than we normally would.”

One of the other major changes is the lack of an orchestra. Instead of live music in the pit, the cast will be singing along to backing tracks, a necessity to reduce the number of people in the auditorium. Sondheim songs are notoriously hard to learn, and Moynahan said that not having the live interaction with the musicians is an adjustment.

“There’s usually some back and forth, so if you mess something up they can get you back on track or the other way around,” she said. “With the tracks, you have to just go.”

There is a silver lining, according to LoMonte: The recordings sound the same every time, making it easier to learn the songs outside of rehearsals.

“You can’t bring the orchestra home with you to practice,” he said.

In a normal year, the BHS musical would have started rehearsals not long after the closing performance of the fall play. This year, they started in person in January.

“I think we picked up on everything quicker than I thought we would,” Moynahan said. “Seeing everything fall into place is so interesting. It’s exciting how quickly and efficiently we can do it.”

Performances of “Into the Woods” are at BHS on Feb. 25, 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.bhsthespiansociety.ticketleap.com.

The spirit of live theater is still alive, even though it’s not quite the same as it was last year at this time.

“I still feel that energy,” LoMonte said. “I’m glad to be able to do it. Even with a small cast, we’re up to the task. We’re still putting as much if not more effort in.”