Fair tales-turned-reality exposed in campus play

Imagine Little Red Riding Hood carrying a knife and Cinderella wondering if her prince is really that charming. Now you have the play “Into the Woods.”

On Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and at a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee, Boise State’s Theatre Arts and Music departments will produce three performances of Stephen Sondheim’s musical at the Morrison Center Main Hall.

“Into the Woods” shows what it is like for some classic fairy tale characters once they’ve received all they could ever want, and what happens when their dreams get twisted. The play begins like any other tale: Cinderella gets her charming life, Little Red Riding Hood goes for a walk, and the cursed baker and his wife wander into the woods to bring back some items for the witch in hopes of having a baby. A lady giant and Jack from the beanstalk are featured as well, with each character’s story interacting with the others’.

They soon find that the ideal “ever after” is not always happy, sort of like the prince discovering his bride snores, or Little Red developing paranoia after her encounter with the wolf. More than that, the play examines the influences parents have on their children and how the reality we live in is never quite as nice as the fantasies we dream up.

Taking just over two and a half hours to stage, the production features traditional fairy tale design elements, rather than explore a contemporary feel. This, the Theatre Arts Department’s only main stage performance of the semester, promises to be entertaining.

Theatre department chair Richard Klautsch directs his fourth major musical at BSU, with Laura Rushing-Raynes directing the music and Christopher Raynes acting as conductor for a 20-member orchestra.

Tickets for “Into the Woods” are free for Boise State students, faculty, and staff. $16 general admission and $12 for non-Boise State students, Boise State alumni, and senior citizens.

Eric Ravenscroft
Culture Writer

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