Into the Woods, Out with the Bad

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing my brother perform as the Baker in the popular musical Into the Woods.
Fairytales with a twist, Into the Woods is funny, heartfelt and extremely enjoyable to watch. The show I saw was performed by a cast of high school kids at the Sooner Theater in Norman and let me tell you, these kids were impressive. If you closed your eyes, you would’ve ever known how young they all were. The energy of the cast was brilliant. The laughs were big and the audience was truly engaged in the comedy.

But for me, the most memorable moment of the show wasn’t a side-splitting joke. My biggest moment was when I cried. Now, I have to preface this by saying that I am a total movie cryer. I cry at movies that aren’t even sad. I’m an easy target for this stuff. That being said, this musical, and the crying, had real purpose.

“Sometimes people leave you,

Halfway through the wood, 

Do not let it grieve you,

No one leaves for good.”

I lost my dad about three years ago. And you could probably classify it as a tragedy. Not only is that rough, but as someone who also struggles with depression, I can sometimes have a thought of bad thought buzzing around. I felt this song deep in my stomach. This high school girl with a lovely voice brought tears to my eyes, for reasons she’ll probably never hear about.

“No one leaves for good.”

It was a great night. My brother did an amazing job, I got to see a great show and a lot of my extended family came as well.  And I felt comfort. In my soul.

If you have a chance, see Into the Woods this weekend at Sooner Theater. If that’s not a possibility for you, see the show. However possible. Listen to the soundtrack. You will laugh and smile and you might even cry. But you will leave satisfied.

“You are not alone. No one is alone.”