A musical of magic and adventure

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·3 min read

COSHOCTON − A fresh take on a familiar fairytale is the basis of the spring musical for the drama club of Coshocton High School.

Olivia Crouso and Alahna Thompson rehearse a scene from "Gretel! The Musical." Performances are at 8 p.m. March 10 and 11 at Coshocton High School.
Olivia Crouso and Alahna Thompson rehearse a scene from "Gretel! The Musical." Performances are at 8 p.m. March 10 and 11 at Coshocton High School.

"Gretel! The Musical" from 2019 is based on the original Russian source material that tells a different story from what most know of Hansel and Gretel. Here, Gretel must embark on a journey to fetch the skull of Undying Light from the witch Baba Yaga. Along the way, Gretel meets the Black Knight, who holds the secrets of the stars in his cloak, and three horsemen, who carry the sun across the sky. Gretel must then complete three impossible tasks to gain the skull from Baba Yaga.

Drama adviser Kris Hardesty said there are close to 30 students from the junior high and high school involved on stage and behind the scenes. She chose "Gretel!" because it checked all the boxes she was looking for.

"I had about 60 kids come out for drama club in junior high and high school at the beginning of the year. Of that group, only four were interested in signing. The rest wanted to do acting or work backstage. So, I had to find a musical that fit those numbers," Hardesty said.

Besides that, Hardesty felt the story of a young girl trying to find her way in the world with little help from others would resonate.

"There's a whole section at the end where she says 'I've learned to stand on my own,'" Hardesty mentioned.

Senior Olivia Crouso stars in the title role of "Gretel! The Musical" at Coshocton High School. In the play from 2019, Gretel must claim the skull of Undying Light from the witch Baba Yaga by completing three impossible tasks.
Senior Olivia Crouso stars in the title role of "Gretel! The Musical" at Coshocton High School. In the play from 2019, Gretel must claim the skull of Undying Light from the witch Baba Yaga by completing three impossible tasks.

Olivia Crouso is in the title role. The senior played the lead in "The Little Princess" last year and has been in several productions over the years. In fact, her senior gift from Hardesty was her outfit for this show being stitched together from costumes of previous parts Crouso has played. After graduation she's looking to join the U.S. Navy.

"This is kind of Gretel's dream sequence. She's kind of bringing the story of Hansel and Gretel to life," Crouso said of the show. "If you like fantasy, magic and adventure, you'll love this show."

Freshman Jacob Milletti plays the Black Knight. He was Jonathan in the one-act version of "The Play That Goes Wrong" in the fall. He's hoping to keep acting throughout high school.

"It's a really cool musical," he said of the current production. "It's very supernatural."

Taylor Kiefer and John Stamper play narrators for "Gretel! The Musical" opening at Coshocton High School.
Taylor Kiefer and John Stamper play narrators for "Gretel! The Musical" opening at Coshocton High School.

Miletti said he was encouraged to join the drama club by Crouso and junior John Stamper, who plays one of the narrators. He and Taylor Kiefer guide the story and explain internal thoughts of the characters. He likes they have a large cast with many varied roles, especially for beginning actors.

"It's a really great experience with how many people can be involved without having a part where you're singing or saying many words. It's a great introduction for some of our younger people," Stamper said. "Just being on stage without saying anything will be great for their confidence levels and stage presence."

Seniors Brooklyn Ranalli and Ally Casey are handling the sound and have worked in that capacity for previous shows. Both play trumpet in the band. Ranalli wants to study music education in college.

"This is a very unique opportunity and this is something you can do as a career. I appreciate Kris and Mr. Hardesty (band director) taking the time to teach us these skills," Casey said on learning how to run sound for a play.

Olivia Crouso and Alahna Thompson rehearse a scene from "Gretel! The Musical." The play will be presented at 8 p.m. March 10 and 11 at Coshocton High School.
Olivia Crouso and Alahna Thompson rehearse a scene from "Gretel! The Musical." The play will be presented at 8 p.m. March 10 and 11 at Coshocton High School.

Performances are at 8 p.m. March 10 and 11 in McKinley Auditorium of Coshocton High School, 1205 Cambridge Road. All tickets are $8 and can be purchased at coshoctoncityschoools.com. For more information, call 740-622-9433.

The primary cast features John Stamper, Taylor Kiefer, Olivia Crouso, Alahna Thompson, Nela Wiredu, Mallorie Stamper, Tayvah Deran, Alex Ranalli and Jacob Milletti. The ensemble includes Lexie Hatton, Josaline Leasure, Jordynn Frye, Lexie Radcliffe, Mikayla Girard and Heaven Gardner. Live music is being present by choir director Abigail Adams, band director Barry Hardesty and senior Kennedy Kittell.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: A musical of magic and adventure