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“Tuck Everlasting, the Musical” is filled with humor, heart and warmth and is a charming holiday play that children and families will love. It’s the story of 11-year-old Winnie Foster, chafing at the restraints of childhood and yearning for adventure, and the very adult decisions she must make. “Tuck Everlasting” opened last week at Collaborative Theatre Project in Medford to a full house. Aubrey Campbell is cast as Winnie and lights up the stage with her bright, open smile. You know from the start that there’s magic in the air when Winnie enchants a frog who turns into a boy, hopping and croaking. Just as captivating is Winnie’s disgruntlement when her strict and careful mother, Betsy Foster, played by her real-life mother Rebecca K. Campbell, who keeps her beloved daughter close at home. But trouble is in the air when Winnie runs away and meets Jesse Tuck, played by Evan Sheets, who’s forever 17 years old and a bit foolhardy, though earnest and well-meaning. Danger mounts for Winnie and the whole Tuck family when their immortality is accidentally discovered. There’s universality to “Tuck Everlasting,” an awareness of the individual as past, present and future. The storyline doesn’t evade serious questions of bereavement, grief and death, and ideas are presented with quiet empathy that a child can appreciate. There’s an understanding that memory brings immortality of a sort, that life is most fully lived with love and care, with family and friends. The Tuck family is four: Alex Boyles as Angus, Lisa-Marie Newton as Mae, Eoghan P.M. McDowell as Miles, and Sheets as Jesse. There’s a tension between the family’s need for the disruption and novelty of newness and the protecting the family and its secret that constancy and sameness bring. Michael Williams is a standout as the Man in the Yellow Suit, not just for the bright-banana colors of his clothing, but for his hoarse, fearsome voice and dastardly devious acting. Williams is light on his feet and frighteningly insightful as he leads the ensemble and seeks out secrets better left hidden. The Man in the Yellow Suit may get his comeuppance, though I’m not saying any more on the subject. Lauren Blair’s work as director and choreographer is outstanding. Fairies dance sweet ballet; carnies cavort at the fair, and couples court in Baroque formality and unconstrained country dance. Blair uses choreography as a director should, to enhance the story and move the action forward. Hazel-Marie Werfel, last seen at CTP in the role of Anne in “The Diary of Anne Frank,” returns to the stage; her fluid and instinctive movements add harmony to the scenes. Scenic designer Christopher Burkhardt and scenic artist Paige Pearson have outdone themselves in “Tuck Everlasting.” Two structures flank the stage, one with stairs to suggest a home, and the other with ladder-like frames that climb trees constructed with miles of craft paper. These craggy trees shelter a forbidden forest and magical stream. The vertical set pieces, with few braces and banisters, add to the excitement and risk of the performance as sure-footed actors perch precariously high above the boards. Olivia, Solena and Mayli are from Ashland and come to almost all of the plays at the CTP. “I loved the music and I loved how everyone was working together in some way.” Olivia said. Solena said, “I liked the unexpected ending!” “I cried in the end!” added Mayli. Perhaps what’s most appealing about “Tuck Everlasting” is the wisdom of a child wise beyond her years, and what is most unexpected about the play is its ending, one I’ll leave for you to discover. “Tuck Everlasting” runs through Dec. 30, in CTP’s well-appointed and comfortable theatrical space at 555 Medford Center. The play is appropriate for both young and adult audiences. Tickets are from $20 to $28 and can be purchased online at ctpmedford.org or by calling the box office at 541-779-1055. Reach Ashland freelance writer Maureen Flanagan Battistella at [email protected].