'Blue's Clues & You!' star Josh Dela Cruz joins cast of 'Into the Woods'
Blue's Clues & You! star Josh Dela Cruz has joined the cast of the Philippine staging of Into the Woods.
Theater Group Asia announced that the kids show host will play Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf in the upcoming play.
"I'm so honored to join the cast of Into the Woods. It has always been a dream of mine to perform a musical in the Philippines," Josh said. "Getting the opportunity to perform with Filipino legends is icing on the cake. I can't wait to share this story with my kababayans!"
"I was often one of the only Filipinos in my class growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey. I can't wait to be immersed in Filipino culture and be surrounded by the people. I look forward learning more about myself through the audience, the cast, and the city."
Josh also shared that he loved how the musical explores the "loss of innocence and presents the consequences of how we deal with that change."
"We can either dwell on it or choose to be present, move forward, and live our lives to the fullest. It’s a simple idea, but something I try to remind myself of every day.
Josh is no stranger to the screen and stage, as he played the titular role in Broadway's Aladdin, performed in The King and I, and starred in Here Lies Love.
He also became the third host of beloved kid's show Blue's Clues, taking up the mantle from Steve Burns and Donovan Patton.
Premiered in 1986, Into the Woods intertwines the plots of several fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella.
The local run will star Lea Salonga as the Witch, Eugene Domingo as Jack's mother, Nyoy Volante as the Baker, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante as the Baker's wife, Nic Chien as Jack, Joreen Bautista as Rapunzel, and Mark Bautista as Rapunzel's prince.
The musical is tied together by a story about a childless baker and his wife, their interaction with a witch who had cursed them, and their encounters with the fairy tale characters. It was adapted into a Disney movie in 2014.
Into the Woods will be held from Aug. 7 to 24 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati. It will have a limited engagement run of 18 performances.
