Pittsburgh CLO Presents INTO THE WOODS 8/4-8/9 At The Benedum Center

Find out what happens after "happily ever after" when Pittsburgh CLO presents Into the Woods. Once Upon a Time, a Baker and his wife embarked on a quest to break a witch's spell. On their journey "into the woods" they cross paths with Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella and a host of other hysterically flawed fairy tale characters.

This cast of familiar fairytale faces must confront the fact that their happily ever after may not be so. Experience this fabulously fractured fable August 4 through August 9 at the Benedum Center in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Stephen Sondheim's award-winning score casts a magical spell with such gems as "Children Will Listen," "Giants in The Sky" and "No One Is Alone."

Stanley Bahorek (Jack) makes his Pittsburgh CLO debut after appearing on Broadway as Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Mr. Bahorek's other musical theater credits include A Little Night Music, the National Tour of DeafWest Theatre's Big River and multiple productions with Music Theatre of Wichita.

Greggory Brandt (Rapunzel's Prince) has appeared in several Pittsburgh CLO productions including A Little Night Music, 1776, The Sound of Music, Pirates of Penzance, A Musical Christmas Carol, and this season's Les Misérables. Mr. Brandt was in both the Broadway and National Touring productions of Les Misérables and was recently seen in the Broadway production of A Tale of Two Cities.

Stephen Carrasco (Steward) made his Pittsburgh CLO debut this season, previously appearing in Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana. He also performed on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Mr. Carrasco has appeared with Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed, Atlanta Theater of the Stars, Carousel Dinner Theater, Syracuse Stage and the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

Jennifer Cody (Red Riding Hood) returns to Pittsburgh CLO after appearing in Oklahoma! in 2007. Ms. Cody's Broadway credits include Shrek The Musical, The Pajama Game, Urinetown, Beauty and the Beast, Grease and Cats. Her television credits include "Law and Order" and Disney's upcoming animated feature film "The Princess and the Frog."

Kaitlyn Davidson (Rapunzel) returns for her third season at Pittsburgh CLO where she appeared in Mame, West Side Story, Cats and this season's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana.

Kevin Earley (Wolf/Cinderella's Prince) appeared at Pittsburgh CLO for the first time in this season's Les Misérables as Enjolras. Mr. Earley performed on Broadway in A Tale of Two Cities, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Les Misérables.

Sara Jean Ford (Cinderella) has been seen as Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera on both Broadway and with The National Touring Company. Ms. Ford just made her New York Cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room where she performed her one-woman show, "Built Ford Tough." This is the Carnegie Mellon alum's first appearance at Pittsburgh CLO.

Hunter Foster (Baker) makes his Pittsburgh CLO debut after performing on Broadway in The Producers, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors, Les Misérables, Grease, Footloose and King David. A Tony® nominee for Little Shop of Horrors, Mr. Foster is the husband of Jennifer Cody and the brother of Tony®-winner Sutton Foster.

Steffi Garrard (Florinda) returns for her third season at Pittsburgh CLO. Her previous appearances here include Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, 42nd St, West Side Story and this season's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana

Tracy Groth (Snow White/Cow) returns for her third summer at Pittsburgh CLO. She previously appeared in West Side Story, Cats and this season's Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Ms. Groth is a graduate of Point Park University.

Tim Hartman (Narrator/Mysterious Man) has appeared on Broadway in A Tale of Two Cities, and the Encore production of Finian's Rainbow. Mr. Hartman has performed in numerous Pittsburgh CLO productions, including this season's Les Misérables as Thénardier,

Barry Manilow's Copacabana as Brill/McManus and 17 appearances in A Musical Christmas Carol. He has also appeared in the films "The Silence of the Lambs," "The Piano Lesson," and "The Mothman Prophecies."

Betsy Lawrence (Jack's Mother) boasts numerous musical theater and operatic credits including Cats, Carousel, Black Water, La Traviata and Die Fledermaus. She was hand picked by Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops as a finalist for his "Search for a Star." Ms. Lawrence is on the voice faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in both classical and jazz. This is her first appearance at Pittsburgh CLO.

Beth Leavel (Witch) returns to Pittsburgh CLO where she previously appeared in The Pajama Game and A Little Night Music. She received the 2006 Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Los Angeles Drama Critics awards for her performance in the title role in The Drowsy Chaperone. Ms. Leavel recently appeared in the final episode of the television series "ER" and "The Unusuals."

Stephanie Maloney (Lucinda) returns for her second season with Pittsburgh CLO. She appeared in Annie Get Your Gun in 2008 and this season's Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Ms. Maloney will be a senior this fall at the University of Michigan.

Brynn O'Malley (Baker's Wife) appeared on Broadway in Hairspray, Wicked, Sunday in the Park with George and Beauty & The Beast. Her regional credits include Oklahoma! and Meet Me in St. Louis (Paper Mill Playhouse). Ms. O'Malley is a University of Michigan graduate.

Paul Palmer (Cinderella's Father) is a veteran of 53 CLO summer productions and 31 CLO summer seasons. An alumnus of Clarion University, he has performed in musical productions such as West Side Story, 42nd Street, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Girl, Brigadoon, Bells Are Ringing, 1776, My Fair Lady and Mame.

Elise Santora (Granny/Giant's Voice/Cinderella) has appeared on Broadway in In The Heights, Man of La Mancha, The Capeman and Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Ms. Santora has toured the world as a background singer with such acts as David Bowie and Julio Iglesias. She made her Pittsburgh CLO debut in Barry Manilow's Copacabana this season.

Lauren Sprague (Cinderella's Stepmother) made her Pittsburgh CLO debut this season in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Ms. Sprague is a senior Musical Theatre major at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Kathryn Lin Terza (Sleeping Beauty/Cow) returns to Pittsburgh CLO where she appeared in West Side Story, Cats, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, 42nd Street, Oklahoma!, White Christmas, Beauty and the Beast, Grease and this season's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana.

James Brennan (Director/Choreographer) has directed productions of Crazy For You and The Sound of Music for Pittsburgh CLO, in addition to I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the CLO Cabaret. Mr. Brennan was responsible for the first full production in the New York City area of A Wonderful Life. As an actor, he has appeared in Pittsburgh CLO productions of Me and My Girl and La Cage aux Folles. His Broadway credits include 42nd Street, Singin' in the Rain, Me and My Girl, and Crazy For You. Mr. Brennan's National Tour credits include No, No, Nanette, Good News, Me and My Girl, Camelot and Crazy for You.

Tom Helm (Music Director) returns for his 14th season with Pittsburgh CLO. He was the Musical Director for Les Misérables and Barry Manilow's Copacabana this season. On Broadway, he was the musical director of Les Misérables, Me and My Girl and the revival of Brigadoon. Mr. Helm was also the musical director for the First National Tour of Cats and conducted Cats on Broadway early in its run. Mr. Helm is also the resident music director at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Into the Woods was first performed at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where it opened on December 4, 1986, and ran for 50 performances. It opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on November 5, 1987, and closed on September 3, 1989 after 764 performances. It starred Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, Kim Crosby, Ben Wright, Danielle Ferland, Chuck Wagner, Merle Louise, Tom Aldredge and RoBert Westenberg. The original production won the 1988 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical. Also that year, Joanna Gleason won Tony® Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim won Tony® Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, respectively.

Into the Woods also won the Grammy® Award for Best Musical Cast Show Album. Tenth Anniversary performances were held on November 9, 1997, at The Broadway Theater in New York with the original cast. The United States tour began on November 22, 1988. The original London Production opened on September 15, 1990 at The Phoenix Theatre and closed after 197 performances.

Into the Woods, with the original Broadway cast, was taped in May 1989 and aired on public television on March 20, 1991, on PBS's "American Playhouse." This version has since been released on DVD. The 2002 Broadway revival opened April 30, 2002, at the Broadhurst Theatre, closing on December 29 after 279 performances. The plot was retooled, with a subplot added involving The Three Little Pigs. Other changes included the addition of the song "Our Little World." Also, there were two Wolves rather that only one, sung by the two performers who also play the Princes. It starred Vanessa Williams as the Witch and featured the recorded voice of Judi Dench as the Giant. The revival won the Tony® Award for the Best Revival of a Musical and Best Lighting Design. A revival at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio in Covent Garden had a limited run from June 14 through June 30, 2007.

The musical has been adapted into a child-friendly version for use by schools, with the second act completely edited out, as well as certain elements from the first. The show is shortened to fit in a 60-80 minute range, and the music transposed into keys that more easily fit young voices.

Once a groundbreaking new work, Into the Woods has become a theater staple, even for high schools. The International Thespian Society, with about 3,800 affiliated high schools, has conducted a survey of the most popular plays and musicals every year since 1937. About 830 schools participated in this year's survey. Of the top ten musicals produced, Into the Woods tied with Bye Bye Birdie for 6th place behind overall leader Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

James Lapine (Book) both wrote and directed numerous shows on Broadway including Sunday in the Park With George, Into the Woods, Passion and Falsettos (with William Finn). On Broadway, he directed Golden Child, The Diary of Anne Frank, Amour and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He also wrote Table Settings, Twelve Dreams, Luck Pluck and Virtue, The Moment When, and Fran's Bed. Mr. Lapine has received three Tony® awards, five Drama Desk Awards and a Pulitzer Prize with Stephen Sondheim for Sunday in the Park With George.

Stephen Sondheim (Music and Lyrics) wrote the music and lyrics for Saturday Night, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, The Frogs, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park With George, Into the Woods, Assassins, Passion and Road Show as well as lyrics for West Side Story, Gypsy, Do I Hear a Waltz? and additional lyrics for Candide. Side by Side by Sondheim, Marry Me a Little, You're Gonna Love Tomorrow, Putting It Together and Moving On are anthologies of his work as composer and lyricist. For films, he composed the score of Stavisky, background music for Reds and songs for Dick Tracy. He co-authored the film The Last of Sheila and the play Getting Away With Murder. Mr. Sondheim is on the council of the Dramatists Guild, having served as its president from 1973 to 1981.

TICKETS FOR 2009 SUMMER SEASON
Tickets for Into the Woods start at $24.50 and are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Groups of 10 or more may call 412-325-1582.

 

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