A Modern Girl's Guide To Fairy Tales - 'Into the Woods' now at Theatre Building Chicago

The Porchlight Music Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning Sondheim classic Into the Woods at the Theatre Building Chicago now through May 30^th.  Into the Woods reopens the familiar fairy tales of our childhood, showing us that there might actually be more to that enchanted forest than just witches and wolves.  Into the Woods explores the dark possibilities of what might happen when everyone's wishes are actually granted and no one is held accountable for their actions to get them. 

For those of you who read my reviews, you might have picked up that I am not a super fan of musicals.  Nonetheless, I do like Sondheim.  I enjoy that he chooses to challenge his audiences with more sophisticated themes and far-more dimensional characters than your run of the mill musicals.  Now, Into the Woods is not the first Sondheim musical to explore unchecked narcissism and self interest.  I also personally think he executes this theme stronger in Assassins; however, Into the Woods is still a good musical with a good score.

This is the third Porchlight Music Theatre production I have seen in the past year and it followed pretty much true to form to the others.  The production itself is a little uninspired but the acting is great.  I walk into these shows rooting for my socks to get knocked off and pretty much leave ambivalent.

Color me ignorant of musical theatre, but is there any other way to direct Into the Woods without it looking like that Great Performances production we all saw on PBS back in the early 1990s?  I found the whole thing incredibly predicable as well as a little under lit.  If Sondheim deconstructs The Brothers Grimm in Into the Woods, I think he would probably be ready for someone to deconstruct him now.

As I was saying though, there were some real acting standouts in this production.  I've seen Kristen Freilich (Jack's Mother) in her work with Second City Theatricals.  She's great, but I honest to god did not realize her vocal capabilities until I finally saw her in a more traditional musical.  She's an undiscovered gem.  Travis Taylor and Cameron Brune (Cinderella's and Rapunzel's princes respectably) did real service to the piece as well. Into the Woods attempts to bring dimensionality to the afforementioned characters that are essentially relegated to the final lines of these fairy tales.  Mr. Taylor and Mr. Brune highlighted them further by bringing real humor and compassion to the table as well. Finally, Bethany Thomas deserves note for stepping into the shoes of the iconic Witch.  It has to be hard to play this role, constantly being compared to the luminary divas that played the role before you.  (Oh, Bernadette Peters, Vanessa Williams...the list goes on and on.)  However, Ms. Thomas did a great job in actually making the role her own.  She truly put her own stamp on it, something I wish the rest of the production could have followed in doing.

If you enjoy traditional Sondheim, then you will enjoy Into the Woods.  Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com or through the box office at 773-327-5252.

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