Tuck Everlasting at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

Last night I went to see Tuck Everlasting, a musical adaptation of the beloved novel by Natalie Babbitt, at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse and I really enjoyed it. Winnie Foster (Jenna Francis) feels trapped in a house where her mother Betsy (Tracie Davies) and her Nana (Juliene Snyder) are in mourning for her dead father and she longs for adventure. One day she sneaks into the woods and meets Jesse Tuck (Jace Fawcett) near a stream. He stops her from taking a drink from the stream and inadvertently reveals that the water has made his family immortal. Jesse is happy to have made a friend but the rest of the Tuck family, including Mae (Hailey Jasper), Angus (Sheldon Cheshire), and Miles (Max Fawcett), worry that their secret will be revealed. Little do they know that the Man in the Yellow Suit (David Hales) has overheard Jesse and has evil plans for the water. Eventually Jesse asks Winnie to drink the water when she turns seventeen but his family warns that being immortal is not as enchanting as it appears. Francis and Fawcett are incredibly endearing as Winnie and Jesse, respectively, and I especially enjoyed their renditions of "Top of the World" and "Seventeen." Some of the performances from the rest of the main cast are definitely better than others but they are all filled with tremendous heart. Throughout most of the show I was really confused as to why there were so many seemingly extraneous people on stage because they often pulled focus from the action. However, this staging made a lot more sense at the end of the show during "The Wheel," where Angus tells Winnie that she doesn't need to live forever she just needs to live, and "The Story of Winnie Foster," which shows the joys and sorrows as Winnie lives out the remainder of her mortal life, because these extra characters are actually revealed to be the people in Winnie's future life who have been shadowing her as she makes the decision of whether to drink the water or not. This is an interesting, but ultimately very effective, choice because it led to several major a-ha moments for me! I also really enjoyed the choreography, especially in "Partner in Crime" where Winnie and Jesse sneak away and go to the fair, the set, which includes a large tree with a stream in front of it in the middle of the stage, and the costumes, particularly the iconic yellow suit. This production is so charming and heartwarming that I couldn't help but love it and I highly recommend it, especially to families!  It runs through April 8 and tickets may be purchased here.

Note:  I saw this show on Broadway a few years ago and it closed two days later!