BWW Reviews: INTO THE WOODS at Ignite Productions - Loveable Mayhem in the Woods

Imagine your favorite characters from 15 different television shows being forced to interact in one sitcom. Mayhem, right? Well, that is the center of the chaos of Into the Woods, where the most beloved fairy-tale characters are thrust into a story together, and forced to face a giant monster who threatens their world.

Into the Woods is a show that challenges the "Happily Ever After" of each one of the classic Grimm fairy-tale characters. In order to dispel an evil curse placed by the Witch, The baker and his wife must collect objects from the forest. Along their journey, they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Together, they find the tokens the Witch required, but in the process, destroy each other's perfect ever-after and invite a vengeful giant's wrath upon the land. The dark second act is the most difficult part of the show to navigate, but this production did a marvelous job of finding moments of happiness and hope in the midst of the doom.

Ignite Theatre has put together a wonderful cast of talented performers to bring you this production of Into the Woods. The ensemble is very strong in this production, and is highlighted by stunning solo moments from Shahara Ray (Witch), Shane Delavan(Baker), and Boni McIntyre (Baker's Wife). While the show's orchestra often couldn't keep up with the demanding score, the vocal performers carried the weight of a very difficult musical. 11-year-old Hannah Meg Weinraub (Little Red) more than met the demands of Sondheim's killer score, and the two Princes (Michael Donahue and Tanner Sands) added comic delight to the song "Agony".

The show was beautifully staged by director Bernie Cardell, who used a minimalistic set during most of the show to create different parts of the woods. While the set was beautiful, the set changes between the many short scenes seemed to be slow enough to add quite a bit to the 3-hour run time of the show. The costumes were superbly imagined by Rosemary Smith, and fit the classic fairy-tale style. Lighting by Brett Maughan seemed to be a point of chatter during the intermission. It seemed that either cues were missed or something was missing, as the actors' faces couldn't be seen a large portion of the show, specifically during key musical numbers and scenes.

In all, this production was thoughtful, entertaining, and heartfelt, despite the few misfired technical elements. The cast did a great job of inspiring hope, tugging on the heartstrings, and making us laugh. They made for a wonderful evening getting lost in the woods.

Into the Woods plays the Aurora Fox Theatre 9900 E. Colfax Avenue, October 17th through November 9th. Tickets start at $19. Call 720-362-2697 for tickets.

To post a comment, you must register and login.