Into The Woods - You Have To Go! Into The Woods Musical Review

This past weekend, my family and I attended Rockwall Summer Musicals’ production of Stephen Sondheim’s fairytale mashup Into the Woods, which runs til July 1, 2018 at the Rockwall Performing Arts Center.

We are over an hour away from Rockwall but the drive was well worth it. The music was incredible and the performances outstanding!

Even though Into the Woods premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in 1986 and opened Broadway in 1987, I had no idea it existed. I hadn’t even seen Rob Marshall’s 2014 film version of Into the Woods, so the story was not at all familiar to me.

Set in an enchanted forest, a childless baker and his wife realize they’ve been cursed with barrenness and set on a quest to reverse it and live happily ever after.

As they go into the woods to seek for the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold, they run into some of our favorite fairy tale characters: Cinderella, Jack (as in “and the beanstalk”), and Little Red Riding Hood, as well as other surprising characters in this creative plot.

A post shared by Elisha/Elyssa (@whollyart) on Jun 26, 2018 at 11:21am PDT

The full cast of RSM’s Into the Woods is as follows: Jacob Thomas as Narrator/Mysterious Man, Summer Perrin as Cinderella, Ethan Armstrong as Jack, Erin McGrew as Jack’s Mother, Robert San Juan as Baker, Mindy Bell as Baker’s Wife, Darla Meek as Cinderella’s Stepmother, Mallory Cothran as Florinda (Cinderella’s Stepsister), Emma Kay Clay as Lucinda (Cinderella’s Stepsister), Alexander Stout as Little Red Ridinghood, Katie Hall Mendonça as Witch, Cecelia Rogers as Cinderella’s Mother, Malcolm Payne Jr. as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince (Brother of Rapunzel’s Prince), Catherine Hinkley as Rapunzel, Jack Supan as Rapunzel’s Prince (Brother of Cinderella’s Prince), Jacob Turner as Steward, Tiffany Duncan as Snow White, and Karlee Douglas as Woods Fairy (Animal Spirit) who accompanies Jack’s cow, Milky White.

They were all so marvelous I just can’t pick a favorite! Their voices were phenomenal and their performances memorable. It’s “Broadway in Your Backyard” indeed!

A post shared by Elayna Fernandez (@thepositivemom) on Jun 26, 2018 at 8:57am PDT

Into the Woods is divided into two acts and has a 15 minute intermission.

In Act I, we see our hopeful, trusting characters as they pursue their wishes and desires. We are satisfied as Cinderella goes to the ball and gets her prince, Jack uses the beanstalk to get the giant’s harp and finally escape out of poverty, Little Red Riding Hood flees from the Big Bad Wolf, and even the baker and his wife get a child!

In Act II, we’re shocked as we realize that nobody is quite as happily ever after as we thought they would be. Amidst death, betrayal, blaming, bickering, and break ups, we learn valuable lessons and special reminders to not only be careful of what we wish for, but also to make sure that what we wish is truly what we want.

Into the Woods points out and pokes fun of what we think is absurd about fairy tales, adding shocking dark twists in between, taking you from LOL to GASP! in seconds!

This fairy tale musical is usually recommended for ages 8 and up, but I took Eliana, who is proudly 4, and she did really well (she didn’t understand the parts she’d find conflicting) and stayed awake for the almost 3 hours running time. She passed out during the long drive back home, of course!

I had heard people describe Into the Woods as a fairy tale for grown ups, but my whole family thought it was refreshing, delightful, and enjoyable. You certainly do have to have an open mind, but isn’t that true of life itself?

I absolutely loved the contrast in the story; it’s dark, yet lighthearted, it’s funny, yet sad, the destiny of our characters is shocking, but it makes complete sense.

Anything can happen in the woods, and we’re all deep into the woods. We’re in the journey we call life, where there’s joy and pain, where we want our wishes come true and the choices we make to fulfill them will shape our happy (or not-so-happy) ending. Ultimately, it is a journey of courage, self-discovery, and purpose.

We each have a story to tell and someone’s fairy tale ending can turn out to be someone else’s tragedy. This is how my 14-year-old daughter explained it:

Into The Woods was an outstanding show that I absolutely loved! It was so inspiring and different than anything I’ve ever seen, because it truly shows the impact of our actions on others, and how we can be more mindful.

I’m excited for you to see Into The Woods at Rockwall Summer Musicals. Rockwall Summer Musicals produces two Broadway-quality, family-friendly shows featuring a live orchestra each year from June through August.

Into the Woods was a joyous experience. The costumes were truly impressive. The set was colorful and imaginative. My daughters are planning to volunteer to work on the set of Music Man (August 10-19, 2018), so I’m planning to be there as well!

I encourage you to see this breathtaking production for yourself. RSM’s rendition of Into the Woods is a must-see.

“Into the Woods” plays through July 1, 2018, at the Rockwall Performing Arts Center (1201 T L Townsend Drive, Rockwall, TX 75087). The Friday and Saturday performances start at 7:30 pm and the Sunday performance begins at 2:00 pm.

For more information and tickets,visit the Rockwall Summer Musicals website rockwallsummermusicals.org. Tickets cost between $18-$22 and discounts are offered for churches, groups, and season subscribers!

[ela]

Rachel

Friday 29th of June 2018

This looks great and right up my street! I would love to go and see it!

Esme Sy

Thursday 28th of June 2018

I think I may have watched a movie like this, I'm not sure. But I'm always eager to watch fantasy/romance shows and I think this really fills the gap for me. I wish they would come to Asia!

Cecilia Harvard

Wednesday 27th of June 2018

I have never been to a musical before but this post is making me want to go! I will have to add it to our list of date night ideas

It looks like you had a blast at the musical! I haven't attended one before but looks like fun.

Ann Snook

I've seen the movie version of "Into the Woods" but would love to see it onstage! I love musicals and fairy tales so much so this show is so fun to me.