By: Dean Vaglia | C&G Newspapers | Published October 30, 2025
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — This November, Chippewa Valley High School is tackling the timeless tale of “Tuck Everlasting” for its fall musical.
Set in the 1890s, the show follows the relationship between Winnie Foster and Jesse Tuck, the latter an immortal 17-year-old after he and his family drank from a magical spring in 1808. As Winnie and Jesse’s friendship blossoms — and Winne is faced with the prospect of becoming immortal herself — the Tuck family is forced to protect the spring and the secret of their immortality from the opportunistic Man in the Yellow Suit.
The show is based on Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 novel, which has become a classic of children’s literature. “Tuck Everlasting” was adapted for the stage by Chris Miller, Nathan Tysen, Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, premiering in Atlanta in 2015 and running for a month on Broadway in 2016.
“This production specifically is cool in the way that it isn’t as big of a known musical (compared to) ‘SpongeBob the Musical’ or ‘Cinderella,’ but I like the story a lot,” said Lily Watanabe, 12th grader playing Winnie Foster. “It has a lot of deep messages behind it, which I’d say is cool.”
Contrasting with last year’s decision to put on a modern take on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “golden age” musical “Cinderella,” vocal coach Olivia Ferguson says “Tuck Everlasting” is a prime example of a contemporary theater musical.
“(Student actors) get to use a lot more of the singer-songwriter sounds they might hear in their everyday listening,” Ferguson said. “They’re going to become familiar with the really bright, more pop sounds; that’s really what musical theater is right now and so singing some of this music is going to give them a good sense of what the genre is at the moment and what they could expect if they were going to go into it further.”
The show’s pop sensibilities see it bringing in melodies and instruments of the show’s 1890s setting, with Ferguson making comparisons between the numbers in “Tuck Everlasting” and The Wizard’s numbers in “Wicked” as well as those in the musical “Big Fish,” a prior Chippewa Valley production. “Tuck Everlasting’s” original cast recording has become a favorite of the high school’s cast members in the show; Act 2 opener “Everything’s Golden” has particularly taken off with the cast.
“(‘Everything’s Golden’) is this huge number where the main villain (the Man in the Yellow Suit) is explaining his beautiful plan and how it is all going to work,” said Justin Maciejewski, a junior playing Constable Joe. “It’s so complex (with) all these layers and extravaganza.”
Choreography also plays a large role in the show, particularly with the way ballet is incorporated on top of the dancing usual to modern musical productions. Choreographer Claire DiFranco, an instructor with Mary Skiba’s School of Dance, has been brought in to handle the dancing front.
“(DiFranco) is nationally recognized for her choreography,” Ferguson said. “She is doing an excellent job of incorporating ballet not just in the large ballet that ends the show, but throughout the whole show. There’s some very beautiful moments, and I would say our featured dancers are working extremely hard. People are going to want to see the show not just for the singing and acting, but also because the dancing is very high level and tells the story very beautifully.”
Cast-favorite song “Everything’s Golden” is a number that brings the choreography into the spotlight.
“In ‘Everything’s Golden,’ you’re not just standing around,” said Matteo DiMaggio, a junior playing Hugo. “There’s constantly all this motion. As a group, they’re constantly lifting (the Man in the Yellow Suit) up and he’s moving around.”
Despite being first published 50 years ago, “Tuck Everlasting” has become every bit as timeless in its place on school library bookshelves as the family it finds its title in. While not every student in the show had picked up “Tuck” prior to the selection of its musical adaptation for the fall show, the story’s themes have resonated with the student actors much as it has with generations of kids and teenagers. Amanda Meyerhoff, a junior playing Winnie Foster, found that the number “The Wheel” and its reprise best summarize what “Tuck Everlasting” is all about.
“The overall message is to not to take the time you have for granted and to not be afraid of losing, because it can also be something more,” Meyerhoff said.
Chippewa Valley’s production of “Tuck Everlasting” will take place at the school’s Henrichsen Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7-8 and Nov. 13-15. Matinee performances will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9 and at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. Tickets can be purchased online at CVHSMusicals.org.