BELLOWS FALLS — Join the Wild Goose Players as they present Stephen Sondheim's musical, Into The Woods, beginning Friday, April 22, and continuing with performances April 23, 29, and 30 at 7:30 p.m., and April 23, 24, 30, and May 1 at 2 p.m. at the Bellows Falls Opera House.
Nominated for 10 Tony Awards and winning three, this epic musical adaptation of Grimms' Fairy Tales covers multiple themes: growing up, parents and children, accepting responsibility, morality, and finally, wish-fulfillment and its consequences.
Time magazine reviewers wrote that the play's “basic insight … is that at heart, most fairy tales are about the loving yet embattled relationship between parents and children. Almost everything that goes wrong - which is to say, almost everything that can - arises from a failure of parental or filial duty, despite the best intentions.”
Film and music critic of the New York Times Stephen Holden wrote that the themes of the show include parent-child relationships and the individual's responsibility to the community. The witch isn't just a scowling old hag, but a key symbol of moral ambivalence.
James Lapine, writer of Into the Woods, said that the most unpleasant person (the Witch) would have the truest things to say and the “nicer” people would be less honest. In the Witch's words: “I'm not good; I'm not nice; I'm just right.”
Featuring “haunting music, fantastical sets and costumes, giants and witches, and more,” organizers say, “this show will keep you spellbound from start to finish.” The production includes the creative team and company that brought Chicago, The Secret Garden, and Jesus Christ Superstar to the Opera House stage.
Due to continuing COVID-19 concerns, masks will be required. For tickets and reservations, visit bellowsfallsoperahouse.com. And, for further information, email dstern@wildgooseplayers.com.