Into the Woods Roundabout Theatre Company Review

The re-imagination of the Roundabout Theatre Company's Into the Woods off-Broadway was one of the best off-Broadway experiences of the 2014-2015 season. Co-directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld, this Sondheim classic was scooted into a very comical light by presenting the story in a very unique way: eleven people and a piano, set in an old attic. The use of the same performers playing several characters, the props and costumes being very minimal, and the actors taking part in orchestrating their own music for each other, gave the whole show a very fitting feel of children playing together in an attic.

This show was put together so resourcefully. Every single object that was placed on that stage was used efficiently, thoroughly, and very believably. Very rarely was a prop or scenic element used only once. For instance, the Stepsisters' dresses were reversible, the stepsister hat doubled as a flower garden, and Jack used his tin pale to make music. Little Red was transformed into Rapunzel just by putting on a cleverly crocheted yellow hat, and Jack's Mother only had to remove her shawl to convincingly change into the Stepmother. Actors fluttered sheet music in their hands to become the birds. The Princes rode toy horse sticks through the woods. Cinderella's tree was made from a mannequin, which was ultimately more symbolic of her mother. Jack's hen was a fluffy feather duster, and the Wolf was a stuffed wolf head on a plaque. The stage was not oversupplied with props, but had just enough for the audience to understand and visualize what was taking place. In a way, the creativity it took to step into the imaginative and resourceful minds of children was more respectable than if a traditional Into the Woods set and props had been available.

The scenic elements were very similar. The stage was put together very simply but beautifully to look like an old attic. It looked like someone had disassembled fifteen pianos and threw them onto the walls to resemble the golden harps. The edge of the stage had a jagged look, and there was a tangle of ropes in the back. The stage was furnished with a ladder, tables, chairs, and trunks sitting around that held all the props. The finishing touch was the piano on wheels, which the actors made excellent use of by sitting on it, spinning it, and really physically involving the music and pianist in the production.

The directing choices made in this production were also extremely effective. The designers did not have to manufacture a difficult costume to show that Granny and Little Red had been eaten by the Wolf. They simply used the art of shadowing and silhouettes behind a canvas, and completely got the idea across in a comical, less cheesy, and very believable way. The same goes for when they fed the ingredients to Milky White to complete the Witch's spell. All the actor did was turn around and stuff the objects down his shirt and the audience completely followed along with it. Another example was the use of angled lighting to create the shadow of the Giant, and beating a drum for her footsteps. It was very convincing. In the original Into the Woods, the stage direction instructs that the Giant's foot be sticking out of the wings at the end, but the way this new production staged the Giant's death was just as effective. It was actually easier to entertain that suspension of disbelief, because the means by which they presented these scenes very clearly indicated that the audience was to use their imagination. Just like in ancient Greek theatre, the imagination will do more for the show than any special effects could achieve. This show is supposed to be unrealistic. Thus rather than trying to make something very fantastical look authentic, these designers took a much more sophisticated route to achieve an even better effect.

All of these elements came together so harmoniously to create a very beautiful and memorable version of this show. The reason it was so unique was because all of these choices reflected what a team effort it was to put this show on. These eleven people collaborating to present this whole show with only who and what they had, made the whole thing seem much more triumphant in the end. These characters even ended up successfully eliminating the narrator from this story because they so determinedly orchestrated everything themselves. The show accomplished more and seemed more whole in its simplicity than it did in the original version that was set up as a showy Broadway production. This experience was an intimate one, and it was evident that the actors very much needed the audience, which led to a very interactive experience. The actors created a sense that they loved each other and they loved what they were doing, and that really worked for the style of this production.

There have been some criticisms of the original show's archetypal characters and shallow themes, but this production did a great job of countering those criticisms by addressing them through comedy and also letting its audience know how important it was that this story be told. It was important to these characters to tell this story. It was so important, that they acted as children in an attic, working with what they had, assigning different parts and instruments to different people, throwing on costumes from an old trunk they found, and using lots of imagination. It was a completely new level of Into the Woods. The lightheartedness of this production stirred even deeper feelings for the same story in its very clever, innovative rearrangement. These artists took their audience on a very believable journey with them in this revitalized awakening of an old classic.