Review: INTO THE WOODS at The Repertory Theatre

It is always exciting whenever a beloved musical is being produced. Even more magical is partaking in such an experience in a smaller and charming scale. The Connecticut Theatre Company's production of INTO THE WOOD is one of such productions. CTC's take on the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's musical presents a charming, intimate and funny production of an already beloved musical.

For those not familiar with the musical, INTO THE WOODS is a re-imagination of The Brothers Grimm's Fairy-Tales that places us in the middle of a journey filled with familiar characters and stories, like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Jack and the Beanstalk, on their respective paths toward their wishes. Even more, the musical presents the characters, as well as the audience, with the inquiry of: "What happens after Happily Ever After?"

CTC's production of INTO THE WOODS takes what could be a huge, character-filled musical and presents it as an intimate tale. Featuring its beloved songs, and adding less known tunes written for the original London production, this twisted fairytale is presented by a charming cast inviting newbies into its magical world and reminding veterans why we fell in love with it in the first place. David Nunner and Ben Silberman's co-direction is a paced one, taking advantage of the coziness of the space to develop delightful interactions between the characters and the audience; inviting us to become accomplices of these characters longings and dreams. With compelling performances from its cast, the production doesn't shy away from the darker moments, nor the more light and funny twists. As The Baker's Wife, Johanna Regan Milani does a superb job at bringing forward a strong and enchanting character with an amazing voice and great comedic timing. Other standouts are Lisa DeAngelis' extremely funny Little Red, and Raul Calderon's endearing and grounded Jack.

Michael J. Blane and Benjamin Silberman's set design is a clever combination of moving and multi-leveled scenery, which creates an almost vertical maze out of the woods. This, plus Blane's lighting design, produced a surprisingly multidimensional world amplified by the intimate space.

In the end, CTC's production of INTO THE WOODS is a fun surprise for those who are familiar with the musical, and charming new experience for those who are not. So if you are on the path for an adventure, go see Connecticut Theatre Company's production of INTO THE WOODS. Oh!, and taste the cookies, they are as magical as the beans!

INTO THE WOODS runs at The Repertory Theatre in New Britain, CT through June 16, 2019. Curtain times are Fridays & Saturdays at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. For more information, call 860-223-3147 or visit connecticuttheatrecompany.org. The Repertory Theatre is located at 23 Norden Street, New Britain, CT.

Top photo: Duane Campbell as The Baker, Johanna Regan Milani as The Baker's Wife, and Raul Calderon as Jack in Connecticut Theatre Company's' INTO THE WOODS, playing now through June 16 at The Repertory Theatre. Photo by Kerri Morris.

Mid photo: Kat Blair as The Witch in Connecticut Theatre Company's INTO THE WOODS, playing now through June 16 at The Repertory Theatre. Photo by Kerri Morris.

Bottom photo: Victoria Zacharski as Cinderella, Kennedy Morris as Florinda, and Kristi Yurko as Lucinda in Connecticut Theatre Company's' INTO THE WOODS, playing now through June 16 at The Repertory Theatre. Photo by Kerri Morris.

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