I always enjoy a great musical, seeing the actors do their best, singing, dancing, acting; things that if I and others tried, we’d be pulling muscles all over the place. So it's best left to those who have a knack for it, plus a talent they are willing to share on stage, giving of their time and efforts to entertain the masses of Montgomery County, hungry for such a venture. If there is something that The Players Theatre Company in Conroe does very well, I’d say it’s musical productions, like with their current musical ‘Tuck Everlasting.’ They of course used recorded music. Quite simply, it rocks. And if ‘Rock of Ages’ had been done with recorded instead of live music, it would have been a masterpiece as well. Quite simply, the clarity was just not there. ‘The SpongeBob Musical,’ is of course King of the Mountain, but ‘Tuck Everlasting,’ is oh so close, and presented with nearly the same energy and intensity, and was just as positive and entertaining. Tuck grabs at you, and holds on. The story is the 1975 brainchild of children’s author Natalie Babbitt, and touches on the bounds of immortality, which depending on the view, can be either a blessing or a curse. The differing scenes engage our memory banks, filled with loving remembrances of our own loved ones from the past; the ones we loved with all our hearts, and had so much meaning in our existence. Since the book, Tuck came to the stage in 2015 in Atlanta with music by Chris Miller, and lyrics with Nathan Tysen, with choreography by Casey Nicolaw, and made its way to Broadway the following year.
Right off the bat with the ‘Overture/Prologue,’ we get a sense of time and its quick progression, from 1808, when the Tuck family, Jesse (Jay Shoemake), Miles (Alan Boudreaux), Mae (Lisa Woods), and Angus (David Horn), first drank from the magic spring; then time marches persistently on as railroads come online, and soldiers take off from Treegap, New Hampshire, to the battlefields of the Civil War, to when Miles arrives for his obligatory 10-year visit, still looking the same age as he did in 1808, then time stops for Our Story, in 1893. A carnival atmosphere takes hold as a fair arrives in town, with the townsfolk and the carnies intermingling. It makes for a pleasant opening number with the ensemble on the busy stage, including the ‘Man in the Yellow Suit’ (Mark Doreza), the antagonist, whose special ability to guess anyone’s age on the spot is remarkable. In the midst of the arrival, we meet 11 year old Winnie Foster (Samatha Kerne), our hero of sorts, standing outside her house watching all the fun pass her by. She longs to attend the fair coming into town, but since the passing of her father, she has lived a sheltered existence, huddled inside her house at the insistence of her grieving mother, and her more forgiving grandmother.
Winnie’s predicament after a conversation with her maternal elders and the fair, forces ‘Good Girl Winnie Foster,’ when we find the extraordinary booming and projecting voice of Samantha Kerne, that quickly garnered everyone's attention. Wow! What did I just hear? Little did I know at the time the sentimental journey that I would be taking with Winnie. You can really begin to understand Natalie Babbitt’s motivations with her children’s book, with life choices, and the quandary of making decisions at such a tender age of 11, and we are only talking mortality here; not making permanent changes to a young body not yet fully grown. Both are tough decisions, and without weighing the pros and cons of the situation, you can find yourself living a miserable existence in a body that is unfulfilling, and is unable to be changed back. Will Winnie make the right decision?
The Man in the Yellow Suit is a real character. Basically, a carny, but also an overall mean and deceptively shadowy man, in a terrible suit. MitYS’s little encounter with Winnie, in ‘Join the Parade’ forces a change of will in the girl. We can see Mark Doreza’s talent shine in the song, in which he has that knack to attract your attention. His memorable performance as Plankton in SpongeBob, almost made you wish for some fasting-singing-almost-untelligible-lyrics-you-can-barely-make-out. In Tuck, he plays MitYS intentionally with a lackluster debonair attitude, still unconvincing that he maintains anything good about his conscience, although he is honest in his intentions, his greed gets in the way, making you wonder what his future predicament will be? Probably not good.
In a ‘Good Girl …’ reprise, the young Winnie does take that jaunt into Treegap Wood, owned by Mother Foster. In time she sees Jesse, who has just drank from the spring. They talk, and in wanting to also take a drink as well, but thankfully Jesse distracts her to a tree. In ‘Top of the World,’ Jesse shows Winnie his World, and it turns into an entertaining duet. Miles arrives, so does Mae Tuck, and seeing Jesse with Winnie is very distressing. It’s a shock to the family psyche, and the only logical thing to do in the family’s now uprooted existence is to kidnap Winnie. The family patriarch, Angus, will have an idea what to do.
Back in Treegap, when it’s determined that Winnie is missing, the ever eager new deputy Hugo (Royce Reid), and Constable Joe (Randy Reid), are on ‘Hugo’s First Case,’ and at first he is bumbling, but in time he improves. When Winnie wakes at the Tuck cabin, she is surprisingly calm, and learns about the family in ‘The Story of the Tucks,’ and the life giving water. Winnie and Mae bond, and at nightfall, the girl readies for bed in the attic, but Jesse has other ideas. A trip to the fair. But with both being caught by Angus, on their way outside the house, the father allows the trip. Perhaps he sees the writing on the wall, that the times are a changin, so he might allow his 17 year old son, who’s really 102, to have a night on the town with Winnie.
In a ‘Join the Parade’ reprise, the Man in Yellow Suit gets the crowd going. He confronts Jesse with his age determining ability. Jesse maintains his body image age, while MitYS knows by looking in his eyes that he is an old man. Jesse and Winnie dream of traveling the planet together. There is talk of marriage, and for Winnie having to wait six-years for her to drink the water. Jesse gives some water for her to drink when she turns 17, but it is for Winnie to decide if she wants immortality or to marry and raise a family, and live a regular life. And that’s just a small part of the story.
Tuck Everlasting is much more than the immortality of one family. It’s about our mortality, and how we live our lives. It’s about the choices we make in life, and how well they are thought out. Did Winnie make the right life choice? I’m sure she did. But it’s something that you will have to find out. The ending is especially touching and will tug at your heartstrings, making you reflect on your own life, and wishing for better relationships along the way.
Ashlie Driver has an incredible gift when it comes to directing musicals with The Players Theatre Company. She also directed the SpongeBob Musical which was tops, and with the intimacy of The Owen’s stage, the audience is right there so close to the action, and the sound is crisper than in more open stages. Driver has a great team with Assistant Director and Sound Tech Philip Harris, Music Director Brandon Christian, and Choreographer Mieka Phillips, all who were with her for the SBM, and other projects.
Samantha Kerne (Winnie) has literally been preparing for the role of the protagonist in Tuck since she was really 11 years old, singing ‘Good Girl Winnie Foster.’ She was even recorded on Facebook by her voice coach Jody Haas, who recalled speaking with young Samatha that she would be the lead in Tuck one day. Now Miss Kerne is, and her confidence level is off the charts when it comes to her performance. Now as a 15 year old, seeing her perform was an honor, and you get the sense that we will be hearing a lot from her in the future. Mark Doreza (Man in the Yellow Suit), makes for a great bad guy, but he does good guys too. His MitYS character is perfectly suited to the antagonist he is capable of playing, and we love him for it. He is a versatile actor, looking at future subjects, and making preparations over six months in advance for the parts he wants. And he gets them.
I was truly impressed with the acting corps. I wish I could mention everyone, and that goes for the dancing as well, Meika please take a bow. The Corps de Ballet were outstanding and deserve high praise. Props mistress Julie Reid, did a great job in delivering everything ready for the stage; and the coordination that it took in its distribution during the production was a mountainous task, which is easily overcome with Ashlie Driver in charge.
I can’t say enough about the set, and kudos to Stephen Driver and his crew for the tree and attic settings. Costumes were another big thing that I was amazed with, and Kailey Johnson and her crew did an incredible job. Truly it was a professional production, and I’m already looking forward to Ashlie’s next project. Bravo cast and crew of Tuck Everlasting.
The Players Theatre Company production of Tuck Everlasting runs until March 30th. It’s another great triumph for The Players 2024-2025 Season, and I highly recommend you take in a show. The Players have also released the productions for their 2025-2026, or 59th Season, with some exciting hits like, ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’
For more information and tickets, visit: playerstheatrecompany.com or 936-539-4090 for tickets.
