What would it really mean to live forever? What would the permanent, personal cost of immortality be? And what would you do to protect the secret to eternal life, or take it for yourself?

These questions and more are at least a partial focus of “Tuck Everlasting,” a musical based on Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 book and the closer of SUNY Oswego Theatre’s 2024-’25 season. Directed by Jonel Langenfeld (“Fun Home”) with musical direction by Dr. Amanda Li (“Comedy and Tragedy Tonight”) and choreography by Julie Ano (“The Addams Family”), it is perhaps a lesser-known show, but according to the production’s dramaturg, Dr. Bella Poynton, it is a particularly relevant one. After all, as she writes in the musical’s program, have considerations of immortality not become increasingly relevant in the face of emerging technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence? 

Perhaps. If they have, the themes of “Tuck Everlasting” do not resonate down the years to make that connection clear. The closest the show comes to satisfyingly exploring its central concept are in two Act II scenes, the song “Time” and the climactic “montage” sequence reminiscent of Pixar’s “Up,” which are both heartfelt and affecting, but fail to offer any especially innovative insights into the nature of eternal life. These touching moments also contribute to a tonal inconsistency that challenges many comedy-dramas, which “Tuck Everlasting” fails to reconcile. The death of its main antagonist, for instance, is sudden, anticlimactic, seemingly inconsequential and tonally confusing. During both the Friday and Saturday night performances, the dramatic moment (which horrifies the on-stage characters) elicited more laughs than shocked gasps from the audience.

Another plot element of conflicting (or at least unclear) intentions was the central romance, if it can be described as such, considering it takes place between an 11-year-old girl and a 102-year-old man who appears to be 17. An entire song, “Seventeen,” is dedicated to this dynamic, with the immortal Jesse Tuck (Ethan Soda, “Newsies”) imploring 11-year-old Winnie Foster (Tati Copp, “The Laramie Project”) to wait until she turns 17 to gain eternal life so she may marry him; in a word, grooming her. 

Though Winnie ultimately decides against this, the show never seriously confronts how problematic this plot point is, which, if audience reactions were anything to go by, it should have. Similar concern arose over the man Winnie eventually marries, Hugo (Roni Monroe Smith, “Screaming, Humming”), whose age is left unclear in yet another contribution to the musical’s pervasive internal issues.

To be clear, those issues with “Tuck Everlasting” are internal and not necessarily the fault of SUNY Oswego’s production of it. They are failings of concept rather than execution. 

Indeed, the show’s greatest strengths are in its execution, with Oswego’s always talented student performers making the most of the material. Tati Copp is an energetic, engaging lead from the start and a standout performer throughout, bringing a suitably youthful energy to Winnie Foster and consistently impressive vocals to her musical numbers. The other big standout, certainly vocally, is Ryleigh Collins (“Foreplay or: The Art of the Fugue”) as Mae Tuck, a disciplined yet compassionate matriarch who leads the Tuck clan alongside the similarly great Angus (Sean Hurley, “After Ashley”). Sons Jesse and Miles (Owen West, “Romeo and Juliet”) also contribute to the excellent Tuck family dynamic to a lesser degree, with the former giving the audience little to care about (aside from said problematic grooming element) but the latter at least lending the aforementioned highlight “Time” in Act II. Rounding out the core cast is Ian Katz as the unscrupulous Man in the Yellow Suit, an often entertaining but one-note and almost caricaturesque villain who chews scenery all the way through his lack of development and abrupt, unceremonious death.

The supporting cast of “Tuck Everlasting” deserves similar commendation. The Foster family offers two more matriarchs, with Jill Kyle (“Beauty and the Beast”) delivering an understated but notable performance as Winnie’s mother and Alesha Reeder (“Urinetown”) providing several memorably laugh-out-loud lines as Winnie’s grandmother. The prime source of comic relief, however, comes in the form of Constable Joe (Jayden Forbes, “John Proctor is the Villain”) and his protégée Hugo, a fantastic comedic duo who bring levity to every scene they appear in, most especially their musical number “You Can’t Trust a Man.”

On the topic of musical numbers, “Tuck Everlasting” features a few notable ones, a few lackluster ones and a handful that fall somewhere in between. Vocal performances are consistently solid, with standout performers including, again, Copp and Collins. The latter’s “My Most Beautiful Day” is a highlight of the show as a whole, as is the former’s “Partner in Crime” alongside Ethan Soda and the ensemble. That may be largely owed to the choreography accompanying that song, however, with Act I’s entire fair sequence riddled with diverse, elaborate and impressive foreground and background choreography that lend an inescapably fun energy to proceedings, culminating in “Partner in Crime”’s incredible dance number. Once again, “Time” stands out as well, with “flashback” choreography much like “My Most Beautiful Day” that, unlike that song (and like the fair sequence), utilizes child performers, who are put to excellent use throughout the show. Those child performers are perhaps best used in the musical’s previously discussed final (and arguably greatest) highlight, a wordless dance sequence that flashes through Winnie Foster’s life, with various actors portraying characters as they are born, grow, live, age and die to significant emotional effect.

Still, other sequences fall rather flat, such as the opening number’s somewhat odd background choreography and the seemingly superfluous “Top of the World.” Various technical issues fail to help, with inconsistent microphone quality, occasional wardrobe malfunctions — mainly in the form of costumes failing to withstand the wear of dancing — and at least one instance on Saturday night of a song’s timing being noticeably off. Hair and makeup are far from perfect as well, with multiple obvious wigs, but the costuming, props, sets and overall visual direction are otherwise fantastic. The lighting stands out in particular, creating dappled woods, striking silhouettes at the fair and a dazzling pond during Act II’s “The Wheel,” as well as emphasizing the emotional impact of each death throughout Winnie’s life through music-synced spotlights during the final sequence.

That final sequence is the biggest highlight of “Tuck Everlasting,” a scene that, combined with the likes of “My Most Beautiful Day,” “Partner in Crime” and “Time” (not to mention memorable performances and visuals) makes the show worth a watch, even if myriad thematic, tonal, narrative and technical issues bring it down. “Tuck Everlasting” is not exactly a hidden gem and no musical theater production is perfect. Still, with all things considered, the SUNY Oswego Theatre Department did a more than commendable job with an occasionally brilliant but mostly middling musical.

Image from SUNY Oswego Theatre