Camden Catholic High School students working on the spring musical “Tuck Everlasting” were in tech week early this month.
“Tuck Everlasting” was written by Natalie Babbitt and published as a children’s novel in 1975, adapted into films in 1981 and 2002, and also staged as a musical. Set in 1880, it centers on a 10-year-old girl named Winnie Foster who discovers the Tuck family has achieved immortality by drinking water from a magical spring at the base of a tree near her home.
The novel and its adaptations explore themes of immortality, love, time and the meaning of life.
Angela Leone Carrozzino, who graduated from Camden Catholic in 2004, is directing “Tuck Everlasting.”
“I generally start thinking about what the show is going to be a year in advance,” she said, “and we just play around and bounce things back and forth. And ultimately, we decided that we had a really strong cast and a lot of different options for the leads, and it was a story that resonated. And it just felt like the right group of kids and the right time to tell the story.
“So we moved forward.”
The school’s adaptation of the show is closer to the book than the film versions, according to Carrozzino. The sets have been designed by professional Rob Klaus, also a 2004 alum of the school, and include two different homes with exteriors and a boat.
The role of Winnie went to senior Sienna Long, who is part of the school’s Shakespeare Troupe.
“I am really excited about the tree that we have,” she enthused. “It’s like – during one of the songs – I sing with another cast member. We climb up the tree, and we sing on top of the tree, and it’s just a really cool part of the show. And I’m very excited for audiences to see it.”
A lighting designer, sound designer and professional painter also created the technical and stage-dressing elements needed for the production. Until opening night on March 7, the show’s crew spent evenings setting up sound effects, lighting cues, props, changes in costume and scenery.
Being a part of the musical was how both Long and sophomore Finn Mazzola – who portrays family patriarch Angus Tuck – first experienced the story being brought to life on stage.
“I did not know it very well before hand,” Mazzola acknowledged, “but after reading through the script, I thought it had some really important things in it, and over time, it really grew on me. I wasn’t knowing what to expect from it, but I ended up enjoying it a lot.”
The show’s second weekend of performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, in the school auditorium. For tickets, visit www.cchsperformingarts.com.
“It’s a really heartwarming, touching story,” Carrozzino promised. “You’re going to learn something … I’m always most excited for audiences to see the hard work of the students. We really push them to push themselves and it always shows. And I always feel like our audiences are always very surprised by what they’re able to accomplish.
“And that’s always my favorite part.”
