BWW Blog: Why Tuck Everlasting Deserved Better

Tuck Everlasting was a show that ran from March 31st, 2016 to April 26th, 2016 at the Broadhurst Theater on Broadway (it had made its world premiere in Atlanta in 2015). The musical, directed (and choreographed) by Casey Nicholaw, brought Natalie Babbitt's children novel of the same name to the stage, telling the story of Winnie Foster and her adventures with the curious Tuck family. Unfortunately, due to the Hamilton craze, Tuck Everlasting flew under the radar of most theatre-goers, closing after only 39 performances. But even though the show was short lived, it is one of my favorite shows from the 2010s.

One of the things that made Tuck Everlasting so great was its incredible cast. Broadway stars like Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Jesse Tuck), Carolee Carmello (Mae Tuck), Michael Park (Angus Tuck), and Terrence Mann (Man in the Yellow Suit) were part of a group of singers and dancers who helped bring the show to life. My favorite performance, however, had to be Robert Lenzi as Miles Tuck, the brooding older of Jesse who breaks the audience's hearts with his solo, "Time". But of course, the star of the show is Winnie Foster herself. Sarah Charles Lewis wasn't even a teenager when she made her Broadway debut and absolutely carried the show as Winnie Foster, the young girl who discovers the secret of the immortal Tuck family. I'm usually not a fan of child actors but Sarah was absolutely wonderful and deserves every bit of praise she's received for her performance.

Another aspect of Tuck Everlasting that made me love is so much was the music. Chris Miller's music and Nathan Tysen's lyrics come together to tell the story in a beautiful way. There are a wide variety of songs, with some like "My Most Beautiful Day" and "Seventeen" being heartfelt ballads and others like "Everything's Golden" and "Hugo's First Case" being jams that leave you bopping your head. Some of the most stunning moments are when the words disappear and the music takes over, like in "The Story of Winnie Foster" when the ensemble performs a ballet depicting Winnie Foster's life after the Tucks leave.

But the reason Tuck Everlasting probably resonates so much with me is its story. I had been a fan of the original novel and appreciated the 2002 movie, but the musical really made me think about the meaning of life and immortality. Seeing people sing their hearts out about their lives struck me in a way that neither the novel nor the movie did.

Ultimately, Tuck Everlasting deserved so much more than 39 performances on Broadway. Even though I never had the chance to see the musical in person, I'm grateful that recordings exist (maybe not legally, but shhhh) to allow me to listen to the story of the Tucks and Winnie Foster until the wheel stops spinning. Tuck Everlasting may not have been everlasting on Broadway, but it will live on forever in my heart.