Woodbury theater performing Sondheim classic

Woodbury Community Theatre will be taking its audiences “Into the Woods” starting Oct. 5 with its production of the Steven Sondheim classic.

“Into the Woods” will run Oct. 5-7 and Oct, 11-13 at the Loft Stage at East Ridge High School.

The play combines the well-known fairy tales of “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and “Little Red Riding Hood” with the story of the baker and his wife who desperately want a child.

Unfortunately, the baker and his wife have been cursed by a witch and must perform various missions involving the characters in the other fairy tales to break the spell – the baker must bring the witch a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn and a slipper as pure as gold.

After a series of failed attempts, the baker and his wife finally are able to perform the tasks necessary to break the spell.

Once the characters have accomplished their goals, however, they learn about the pitfalls of greed and gluttony.

Finally, they learn about the need for community and family when they must unite to fight against the wife of the giant Jack killed who has decided to come back for revenge.

“Through the retelling of the fairytales you see the struggles of ordinary life,” said Lenore Weir, who is directing the show. “The woods are an allegory for a life passage – the positives, the negatives, the struggles and the decision making.”

Weir said she wanted to direct “Into the Woods” this year because Sondheim is one of her favorite songwriters.

“I told them if I can do a Sondheim, I’ll do another show,” she said. “He truly is my favorite. He doesn’t write sing-along songs, he writes things that when you put them all together you get goose bumps – he blends the harmonies so perfectly.

Weir said her favorite aspects of “Into the Woods” are the metaphors and underlying meanings.

“I love the metaphors about life and life’s adventures and life’s journeys,” she said. “Sondheim does such a masterful job of taking those fairytales and turning it into an allegory of what people go through in life.”

Weir said one of the biggest challenges in directing the play is the transitions between fairytales.

“It’s so woven,” she said. “There are people coming and going – it’s constant movement and excitement.

Even though the music in “Into the Woods” is difficult, like most music by Sondheim, Weir said her cast of 25 has been handling it well.

“The people that are really serious about music want to do Sondheim because it is so challenging,” she said. “They’re working hard at it, but they can do it.”

Weir said she is eager for opening night.

“I hope they can walk out and say, ‘Golly that was fun,’” she said. “I love the show, so I hope everyone else loves it too.”

Woodbury Community Theatre’s production of Steven Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” will be Oct. 5-6 and Oct. 11-13 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. at the Loft Stage at East Ridge High School. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students. Active military members and their families are free. The show is recommended for adults and children 10 years old and older. Tickets are available online at www.woodburycommunitytheatre.org/tickets or by phone at (651)730-4627.

Tags: woodbury, arts, entertainment, lifestyle