Over the river, through the woods
Production opens at Tower Theater bringing comedy and romance with it
“Over the River and Through the Woods” opened Oct. 28 at the Tower Theatre, the third production to do so in the Fall 2016 semester.
The production follows Nick, a single marketing executive, who every Sunday visits his four grandparents for dinners that are governed by faith, family and — most importantly — food.
When Nick announces he is moving to Seattle, his grandparents scheme to keep him close by.
According to Christopher Nelson, Director and Associate Professor, “Over the River and Through the Woods” can be appreciated by anyone from young students to grandparents.
“It is a pretty relatable plot,” Nelson said. “I am finding that it is relating to a lot of college age students who see life the way Nick, the grandson, sees it. And then there (are) parents and grandparents in the community that come on out and have a very close connection to the way the grandparents see how their grandson ought to live life.”
Out of the six cast members, five of them made their debut at the Tower Theater with this production.
Nelson chose this play not only because of the message it contains, but also the challenge that it presented to the production team, since young actors and actresses were cast as 70-year-old grandparents.
“Every year we look to see what we might want to produce, and a lot of times, we like to find a contemporary comedy or drama,” Nelson said.
“This play had a nice message about family. It is not a perfect family, but it is a good challenge for our young actors.”
DRAMA — The cast of “Over the River and Through the Woods” was made up of six Liberty University students, five of whom made their Tower Theater debut with the production. Photo credit: Kevin Manguiob
Lynchburg resident Kathleen Thompson has visited the Tower Theater for multiple shows with her husband, and felt that effort put into “Over the River and Through the Woods” showed.
“I really did enjoy the show,” Thompson said. “We are always so amazed at the hard work these kids put into the production. There were only about five or six actors … and to carry on a whole two-hour play is pretty good in my opinion.”
Nelson felt that the audience enjoyed seeing the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren onstage, and that the play’s message of the importance of family was meaningful.
“There is a line in (the play) where one of the grandparents reminds Nick that you can’t hold onto the ones you love forever,” Nelson said. “I think there are some bittersweet truths that come out in the play.”
Liberty University’s Theatre Arts department partnered with Operation Christmas Child this year.
Collectively, their goal is to fill 130 shoeboxes and to raise $1,000 in donations.
After each showing of “Over the River and Through the Woods,” representatives from Operation Christmas Child will be in the theater lobby to accept financial donations to reach this goal.
“Over the River and Through the Woods” will run from Oct. 28 until Nov. 6, with both matinee and evening showings.
Tickets can be purchased through the MyLU portal or by calling 434-582-7328.
Howerton is a feature reporter.
MOYER is the feature editor.